Dak Prescott

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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'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.”

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

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”