Dak Prescott Is a Legit Heisman Trophy Candidate

As injuries and poor performances hamper some top Heisman Trophy candidates in November, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott keeps rolling along. After going 38-for-50 for 508 yards with seven total touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) against Arkansas on Saturday night, Prescott has thrown for at least 300 yards in five straight games with multiple passing touchdowns in four of those contests. The only recent game he did not have multiple passing touchdowns came against Alabama on Nov. 14, so Prescott can surely be forgiven for that one.

Around this time last year Prescott was in the Heisman conversation, but his chances faded as Mississippi State lost two of their last three regular season games and he finished eighth in the voting. This year it’s other candidates that are fading late, amid the struggles of their teams, while Prescott re-inserts himself as a top Heisman Trophy candidate with a strong finish.

Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen heaped big praise in Prescott after the win over Arkansas, suggesting the senior signal caller is the best player he has ever coached.

Via Bob Carskadon of Hail State.com:

Dan Mullen on Dak Prescott: “I’d say he might be the best player I’ve ever coached. If you look at my resume, that’s pretty impressive.”

— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 22, 2015

Mullen worked with Tim Tebow at Florida as offensive coordinator and Alex Smith at Utah as quarterbacks coach, so he knows talent in terms of college quarterbacks. Prescott is better than both on the surface, since he is a better passer than Tebow and a better runner than Smith, so Mullen’s praise is not surprising even if it is a bit aggressive.

Prescott is surely a dark horse to win the Heisman Trophy this year, but he should be invited to New York as a finalist. If he finishes the regular season on a high note against chief rival Ole Miss, Prescott could usurp some early Heisman favorites as voters cast their ballots.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.