Dak Prescott, arguably the greatest player in Mississippi State football history, wanted to get something off his chest before Saturday’s finale home game vs. Ole Miss.

He loves his teammtes, his coaching staff and especially his fans.

Prescott published an open letter to the Mississippi State faithful this week on Sports Illustrated’s Campus Rush, describing how much their support and the city of Starkville has meant to him during his career.

Here’s a few excerpts from his letter. You can read it in full, here:

Opening expression of gratitude:

Back when I was a senior in high school in Haughton, La., I had a chance to go to LSU. Everyone I grew up with adored LSU, including my mom. But I chose to come to Mississippi State because I wanted to start a new tradition instead of perpetuating an established one. Since I came here, my teammates and I have had a lot of success on the field, and that has given us a chance to uplift the school and the university.

In the past few years here, we’ve been able to transform the expectations around Mississippi State. And while people have given me credit for helping change the football culture, what they don’t understand is how appreciative I am of my teammates, coaches, the university and the city of Starkville for the role they’ve played in changing me.

Saturday will be my last game at Davis-Wade Stadium, the last time I’ll be able to play in front of my home fans. It’s difficult to quantify how much the support of everyone here has meant to me. I came here as a 17-year-old in the spring of 2011, and so much has happened since. On the field, I went from an anonymous redshirt to a short-yardage specialist to a Heisman Trophy candidate. Off the field, I showed up as a wild kid and grew up. My mom and my grandfather both passed away while I was here. When my mom died from cancer two years ago during the season, I can’t tell you how many messages I got on Twitter, Facebook, email and through handwritten letters to the football offices.

On NFL opportunity after junior season:

After last season, I really wasn’t tempted to go to the NFL. What drew me back—what really sealed it—was losing the Alabama game and then losing the Ole Miss game. Especially the Ole Miss game. Then we lost the Orange Bowl to Georgia Tech, and there was no way I could leave Starkville. This place has done so much for me and the school has been there for me. I couldn’t leave after losing three of my last four games. There was no way.

Ode to Dan Mullen:

Coach Dan Mullen deserves so much credit for what he has done here. I wouldn’t dare for one second to want to play for another college coach. I’m so thankful for him giving me the opportunity to come play at Mississippi State. He and coach John Hevesy saw the talent in me before anyone else; they extended my first major Division I offer. They saw the passion that I play with, the heart all the way back to when I came to camp here. That’s what led to them giving me that offer. That’s something that I never wanted to get away from. That’s who I am. Just for him to give me that opportunity was another reason that I just play with the passion and the effort I do.