Dak Prescott Saw His NFL Rise Coming — Just Not This Fast

Others might have been stunned by Dak Prescott’s standout rookie season that allowed him to supplant Tony Romo as the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback last year. But not Prescott.

“I’ve always had high expectations for myself,” Prescott told Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on “The SiriusXM Blitz” on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I think I have higher expectations for myself than anyone has of me, so I definitely thought that this would come. I can honestly say I didn’t think that it’d happen this fast, of getting the opportunity and playing the way I played. I didn’t necessarily know it would happen one year into the NFL.”

He continued, “But to me it goes all the way back to Mississippi State, of just learning the game early and getting the opportunity then when I wasn’t necessarily expecting it. And it’s prepared me for this situation now, just to kind of take over when that opportunity was given and not looking back. And it goes into so many other outside qualities that I’ve been taught through life.”

Prescott’s strong belief in himself was fostered by family influences.

“It’s attention just to my hard work and the way I was brought up and the way I was coached throughout my whole career of being prepared and being ready to take over when you’re needed,” he said. “It also gives credit to my coaches now and my teammates now who allowed me to have success and have success so early in a tough league.”