DAK PRESCOTT

There are a lot of guys who play in pro-style offenses who are not prepared when they come out of college. Either you're coaching the quarterback to be a quarterback, or you're not.

I want to go where I'm the difference. I want to make something out of nothing. I want to be the reason someone is great.

If somebody says I'm a leader or notices the things I try to do to be a leader, it's the ultimate compliment.

I've always had high expectations of myself. I've never felt that there was anything I couldn't do in this world.

I am smarter because I stayed in school, and I am a better football player.

If you're a competitor, you want to win. That's enough to play for, simple as that.

The game of football is something I dearly love, and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing.

My dad was a diehard Cowboys fan. I was raised as a Cowboy fan, and I was forced to be a Cowboy fan.

I hate to lose. It's a bad feeling, but, I mean, it kind of gets you resettled, gets you back right.

I will never have a sip of alcohol and get behind the wheel again. Regardless if I'm 300% sure that I just had a sip and I can drive. It doesn't matter.

I've been through a lot off the field. I think that kind of translates onto the field. Football serves for a lot of life lessons, and so it allows me to stay humble and continue to work.

I'm just trying to win games and give my team a chance, win as many as we can week in and week out.

I'm hard on myself. I'm my biggest critic.

I don't think people know how much time and effort truly goes into the game and goes into simply just scoring a touchdown. So when you get that opportunity, you should be able to be free and be relaxed from all the pressure that went into scoring that touchdown and have fun.

I don't really put too much pressure on myself. The only time people feel pressure is when they put it on themselves and listen to the outside stuff. I have great teammates and great coaches that do the right things around me that allows me to just focus on the game of football.

When I chose Mississippi State, of course I dreamed about being a big-time college football player. But I'm so grateful that actually became a reality - and it became a reality in a small town.

I've been in situations where I was the only black guy. We're in a time now where nobody wants to see that. But it still happens.

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.

A few weeks after my mom passed in November of 2013, I came back from an injury and entered the Egg Bowl in the second half against Ole Miss. I'll never forget the feeling when I walked back out on the field. As I walked into the Egg Bowl, the crowd stood up and clapped like they were enveloping me in a giant hug.

Being bi-racial and being from the country, I can talk to guys like Travis Frederick from Wisconsin and Doug Free from Wisconsin. And then I can go over and talk to Dez Bryant. I mean, think about the two different standpoints you need to have a real conversation with both, to really understand what they've been through.

If there's one perk, it's being the quarterback of America's team and being able to make a difference off the field.

If we're doing a class project, then I'm going to be the one talking and taking the lead. I might not necessarily put all of the work in the project, but I want to help and do as much as I can and get everyone going in the right direction.

When I was younger, I used to pray that I would die before my mom. That's just how much my mom meant to me. I couldn't imagine being in this world without her. But then seeing cancer - seeing what it can do to somebody - as strong and as tough as she was, there was nothing she could do. Cancer is a dirty, dirty deal.

I've always wanted to play quarterback, and I lucked out to be able to play for my favorite team - America's team. I'm just living the moment. I feel like all of this was supposed to happen. When you work hard, things work your way.

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.