THROWBACK THURSDAY - Dak Prescott - The Road to Glory is Endured by Hardships

(From Vogel's 2015 SEC Preview)

Maybe the origins of a champion aren't always rich and glory filled roads full of success and dreams fulfilled. In the case of Dak Prescott, the senior quarterback at Mississippi State, a Heisman hopeful and 2014 First Team All SEC player, the road has been full of sorrow, challenges and hardships. 

Prescott was born on July 29th, 1993, the youngest son of Peggy and Nathaniel Prescott. Shortly after his birth, Peggy and Nate broke up, divorcing in a full blown mess leaving Peggy to raise three boys on her own in Haughton, Louisiana. She moved her family into a trailer park and supported them on her wages at a truck stop. 

Peggy had a love for football, so it was no surprise when her boys went out to play it. Jace, Dak's older brother, went on to play for Northwestern State as an offensive lineman. 

Dak, however, became a star quarterback at Haughton High, listed by Rivals as a three star QB prospect, yet was lightly recruited by power five conference schools. Peggy and her son were very close, and she kep't a good eye on her son, encouraging him to push on. When recruiting coordinators and coaches would visit Dak to talk up their school, Peggy would knock all bull aside and ask "Why should I let my 17 year old son go to your school?"

Mississippi State and TCU recruited Dak, but in the end he chose the Bulldogs over the Horned Frogs. Dak quickly showed his respect to an All-American legend and hero of his. "I asked for the number 15 when I first came to Mississippi State because of Tim Tebow," Dak told the AP during his 2014 Heisman run. "Our games are kind of similar, but I'm a different player. I have my own type of game, but I want to mimic him in a way."

Dak redshirted in 2011, and spend 2012 backing up Tyler Russell. While in that position, Prescott fired for 194 yards and 4 TDs, while adding another 4 TDs on the ground. 

Shortly before the 2013 season, Peggy told her son she was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. "I (knew) he was hurting, but she never told me," Dak explained in an interview. :Finally she said that she wished there could be one day when she didn't hurt." Peggy had held the secret from her family for a year and a half before she told them. "You couldn't tell she had anything wrong with her," Dak said. "She was a warrior." Dak and his brothers fully supported her, even shaving their heads when Peggy lost her hair. 

Tyler Russell started the season, but fell victim to injuries in October. Dak's first few starts weren't brilliant, as the Bulldogs dropped games at South Carolina and Texas A&M and another at home hosting Alabama. In the meantime, Peggy died on November 3rd, 2013. "She was my number one fan," Dak said, "and she meant more to me then I could ever say. She grew me into who I am today." 

Ever since that day, Dak has pointed toward the sky after every touchdown to honor his mother. He still admires her greatly as she has moved on without him. Through late November, Dak led Mississippi State to an upset against Ole Miss and the Liberty Bowl destruction of Rice, where Prescott won the games MVP award. 

When Dak entered the 2014 season, people started to throw around "Dark Horse Heisman Candidate" when talking about him. Prescott entered the hype cool and comfortably. "I just feel a lot more comfortable," Prescott said after Spring Practice. "Just leading those guys and knowing those guys have my back. It's just going out there and trying to make them better." 

Dan Mullen managed to bring his former Utah standout quarterback, Brian Johnson, to the Bulldogs coaching staff to coach Prescott. Johnson was immediately impressed with Prescott's talent. "When you see (Prescott), you can tell he's a quarterback," Johnson said, "He carries himself with a special demeanor that draws people to him. He has some special abilities and tools." 

In August, ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy labeled Prescott as a "legitimate Heisman contender." People scoffed at him for his comment. That's when Dak erupted. 

Nine games into the season, Mississippi State was 9-0, ranked #1 in the nation and Dak was the leading candidate for the Heisman trophy. However, a loss to Alabama and a poor showing against Ole Miss two weeks later bumped Dak down to 8th in the Hiesman voting. Despite all of that, Dak had led Mississippi State to it's best season in school history and led all SEC quarterbacks in rushing yards and total offense. 

Now, Dak enters 2015 as a front running Heisman candidate. Dak looked sharp in spring practice, completing 20 of 29 passes for 231 yards and 3 TD's in the Bulldogs spring game. 

He enters the season with a lot of doubters. Las Vegas released early lines of Mississippi State's schedule, and so far the Bulldogs are projected to loose seven SEC games in 2015. Dak isn't listening, but is focusing on the less-experienced teammates that the Bulldogs roster is crawling with. "I want to coach them," Dak said, "I think when I coach them on all the basic stuff and getting better as a player, it only makes me better. It makes me sharper on my knowledge of the game, and I'm just trying to make sure I know every aspect and be able to teach it to the other guys."