SEC Snapshot: Prescott draws elite forecasts

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott burst into the spotlight last year, throwing for nearly 3,500 yards, rushing for 986 and accounting for 41 touchdowns. A 10-3 season where he was at the helm was exciting.

A two-word blurb before his name in many preseason publications this year is more so. He’s not just Dak Prescott, he’s “Heisman candidate” Dak Prescott.

“It’s humbling more than anything,” Prescott said on Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “I guess it was thrown around last year as a dark horse, but for it to be more prominent this year is just humbling.”

Prescott guided Mississippi State to a 9-0 start and a No. 1 ranking last year, but the Bulldogs lost three of their final four, including the Egg Bowl and the Orange Bowl. Prescott hopes to right those wrongs this year, and at least one place thinks he’s a strong bet to do so.

Bovada has Prescott as one of five SEC players in its top-10 list of potential Heisman winners. He has 12-1 odds, which matches Auburn’s Jeremy Johnson and LSU’s Leonard Fournette. Georgia’s Nick Chubb is 9-1 and Alabama’s Derrick Henry is 16-1.

“It’d be a dream come true,” he said. “I think every kid plays this game to win that.”

David Cloninger