STARKVILLE — Rest easy, Mississippi State fans.
On Wednesday afternoon, with a confident smile on his face, MSU quarterback Dak Prescott strode to the podium in the media room at the school’s Seal Football Complex and delivered the message Bulldog fans hoped to hear: He’s coming back.
“When I decided to come to Mississippi State, it wasn’t about competing for a championship one year or making a run for one year,” he said. “It was about competing for championships and making sure this a program that is not a one-hit wonder, but on a consistent basis is a top-10 and top-5 team nationally. That’s a chance I have coming back another year in helping do that.”
And with that, Prescott confirmed rumors that he was staying at MSU, officially announcing that he would return for his senior season and forgo the NFL Draft.
Reaction, both in Starkville and on a larger scale, was swift. Prescott immediately became the No. 2 trending topic nationwide on Twitter, behind only Oregon quarterback Marcus Mario, who had announced his decision to enter the professional ranks moments earlier.
Within the Seal Complex, MSU coach Dan Mullen and his staff could not hide their excitement over the prospect of Prescott returning.
“We’re excited Dak’s coming back,” Mullen, who signed Prescott as an unheralded high school prospect out of Haughton, Louisiana, four years ago, said. “I think obviously everybody knows what type of young man he is — an unbelievable young man, a great leader for our program. He has the opportunity to do some special things.”
Prescott has already accomplished plenty of special things at MSU. He helped the Bulldogs win 10 regular season games for the first time in school history this season, and he did so by setting a dozen individual school records. He also helped the Bulldogs become the fastest team ever to move from unranked to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25, as the Bulldogs used a 34-29 win at then-No. 8 LSU on Sept. 20 to springboard into the national conversation. Wins over then-No. 6 Texas A&M and then-No. 2 Auburn followed, and on Oct. 12, MSU ascended to the No. 1 ranking in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll. What followed was an unprecedented wave of national attention for Prescott, who had vaulted his way into Heisman Trophy contention.
Ultimately, he finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, the highest finish ever for an MSU player. For the season, Prescott finished with 42 total touchdowns, a school record and the highest individual total in the Southeastern Conference this season.
But eventually, MSU’s stay atop the polls ended as the Bulldogs lost three of their final four games, a stretch that included losses at Alabama and at Ole Miss before an Orange Bowl setback at the hands of Georgia Tech.
It was that disappointing finish that played a pivotal role in Prescott’s decision to continue his MSU career.
“I’ve had this decision, what I want to do, kind of in my gut after the Egg Bowl and then after the bowl game,” Prescott said.
“We didn’t exactly finish the way we wanted to finish,” he said. “I think it had a big part in my decision, going 1-3 in the last four games. I wouldn’t want to finish a career at such a great place and leave on a note like that.”
Having already completed his degree in educational psychology, Prescott enrolled in graduate school classes earlier this week. He’s focused on refining his skills while leading a team that is coming off its highest national ranking since 1940.
Prescott’s return bolsters MSU’s chances for the 2015 season, as he will come back as the reigning First Team All-SEC quarterback, MSU’s first such player since Don Smith in 1986.
For six years, Mullen has preached that MSU’s football program was more of a family than a team. Asked about his quarterback’s decision on Wednesday, Mullen used the familial phraseology again.
“I know we’re really excited to have him come back and be on this year’s football team,” said Mullen. “He’s always going to be a part of our family, but to be on this year’s football team we’re excited to have him play for us again.”
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