Dak Prescott has Mississippi's heart, football or not
Mississippi State had eight players selected in the past two NFL drafts. Only three were picked lower than quarterback Dak Prescott.
Not one Bulldog in the NFL now or at any time in the past (and maybe the future) has received the fan embrace Prescott has – not only from Cowboys fans, but from Mississippi State fans, for whom Prescott can no longer help on Saturdays.
The influx of Dallas Cowboys fans in Mississippi is astounding. People are making eight and 10-hour drives to see the games, err, Prescott. (If he were traded tomorrow to Atlanta, Falcons gear at area TJ Maxxs would soar and the drives would be shorter).
That’s not always the case. College fans will always pull for their guys in the NFL, but usually from a backseat. In and around campus, Saturdays will always be more important than Sundays. Prescott broke that mold.
Prescott had the No. 1 selling jersey on NFLshops.com in December …
… and he owned the South.
Prescott has the heart of Mississippi State fans, a Louisiana boy the Magnolia state has adopted as its own. Sunday Facebook posts are all Dak all the time, even from Mississippi State haters who cheered when the Cowboys were booted from the playoffs.
Prescott’s rookie season was off the charts. He threw for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns and only four picks, with a 104.9 quarterback rating. Even in Sunday’s loss to Green Bay, he threw three touchdown passes and looked like Aaron Rodgers, only younger.
Prescott was a 3-star recruit who no one but Dan Mullen would give a chance. His lore grew as he took over at quarterback for the Bulldogs and led them to an unthinkable No. 1 ranking, as well as a Heisman run.
But it isn’t the stats and it isn’t the poise Prescott showed all rookie season. It isn’t his 38 school records. It was the way he handled the Tony Romo injury, the way he continues to handle being a blossoming star, the way he carries himself in the public eye, the respect he shows for the game, the opponent and the thousands of people begging for his time. It’s the way he handled his mother’s death during his sophomore year and the respect he shows for the opportunity he made the most of at Mississippi State.
Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Prescott is more than just a great football player — and admirers recognize that. More important, he has used that platform to show young players how to act, with or without talent, with or without being in the starting lineup.
No players from Mississippi have gotten the rookie attention and love Prescott has. In fairness, Twitter and Facebook are measurements Eli Manning, Brett Favre and Jerry Rice didn’t have when they entered the league.
Still, it will be tough for anyone to top the polarizing and positive personality Prescott has delivered in Year 1. His jersey in Mississippi schools has become a fashion trend for those with no ties to him, the school or even football. He has crossed football boundaries and become a role model for kids who might not know he played at Mississippi State.
Prescott isn’t the biggest name to ever come out of the state of Mississippi. Part of that is because his last name will never be Manning and even a great career will be hard-pressed to match the likes of Favre or Rice. Or maybe he will.
It’s pretty hard to argue that he isn’t the most loved Bulldog of all time, even if he never takes another snap. If something goes wrong there, there is a lucrative opportunity to sell insurance in Starkville.
