Any conversation involving Dak Prescott and his place in Mississippi State and SEC lore invariably turns to the numbers.

So let’s start with these: 3, 639, 20, 24.

Those were Prescott’s recruiting digits: 3-star prospect, the No. 639-ranked player in the country, 20th among dual threat quarterbacks, 24th in his home state of Louisiana.

Safe to say Mississippi State saw something the recruitniks did not.

Prescott tied a bow on his spectacular college career Wednesday, throwing for 380 yards and school bowl-record four touchdowns to lead Mississippi State past N.C. State 51-28 in the Belk Bowl.

He showed the ACC a bit of what made him so special in the SEC: deft touch, pocket poise, tuck-and-run ability. And that was just during the rainy first-half, when he accounted for almost 250 yards of offense and led the Bulldogs to 31 points.

He finished his senior season with 3,793 yards and 29 touchdown passes. The yardage total is one of the 10 best in SEC history. The touchdown total puts him just outside the top 20.

Many have argued whether — or where — Prescott belongs among the SEC’s all-time greats.

Most lists start with Peyton Manning. Fair enough. Manning ranks fourth on the SEC’s career list with 11,201 yards, third with 89 touchdown tosses and obviously first in NFL accomplishments, which tend to affect these rankings.

Prescott, who rewrote the Mississippi State record book as if he were penning an autobiography, finished outside the SEC’s top 10 in both. So statistically, there is ample ammunition to look elsewhere first.

Take a closer look at Prescott’s final two seasons and a clear picture emerges as to why he’s hailed as the greatest in Hail State history — and why he deserves a spot among the SEC’s top 10 of all time.

It goes beyond individual numbers — which, by the way, were Manning-like:

Player Year C-A Yards TDs INTs
Manning Junior 243-380 3,287 20 12
Senior 287-477 3,819 36 11
Prescott Junior 244-396 3,449 27 11
Senior 316-477 3,793 29 4

Prescott completely changed the way we view Mississippi State football.

He won 19 games in his final two seasons.

The last time Mississippi State won 19 games in consecutive seasons?

Never.

He guided the Bulldogs all the way to No. 1 in the polls, where they stayed for five weeks in 2014.

The last time before that Mississippi State was ranked No. 1 in a season?

Never.

On his watch, the Bulldogs spent eight weeks in the top five.

The last time before that the Bulldogs spent one week in the top five?

Never.

Prescott’s Bulldogs spent 10 weeks in the top 10.

The last time before him that they were that high?

Close … three weeks in 1999.

The before/after comparisons could continue, but the point has been made.

Pick a quarterback, pick a program. Tennessee was a name brand long before Manning arrived and actually won a national title the year after he left. Tim Tebow wasn’t the first, or second Florida QB to win a Heisman Trophy. Cam Newton wasn’t the first Auburn QB to win the bronze, either.

You can make a case that other quarterbacks had better individual statistics, but it’s much tougher to argue any quarterback in SEC history had more impact on a program.

Dak Prescott’s numbers were impressive. His legacy is forever lasting.