Prior to the 2015 season, he was named a 2015 National Player of the Year Candidate, was selected to two Preseason All-American teams (Athlon Sports and Phil Steele), and was chosen First-team Preseason All-SEC by the media. During the 2015 season, he became the fourth player in FBS history to pass for 60 touchdowns and rush for 40 touchdowns in a career, joining Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, Tim Tebow of Florida, and Colin Kaepernick of Nevada. His 2,411 rushing yards places him third in all-time rushing yards by a quarterback in SEC history behind Tebow and Matt Jones of Arkansas. He ranks fourth in SEC history with 107 total touchdowns responsible for (passing, rushing, and receiving) and fifth in total yards (rushing and passing) with 11,153. His streak of 288 consecutive pass attempts without an interception is the longest in school history and third-longest in SEC history. In the Bulldogs' 2015 game against the Arkansas, he set the school single game record and tied the SEC single game record for touchdowns responsible for with seven (five passing two rushing) and set a new school record for touchdown passes in a single game. He was named the AutoNation National Offensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America, the Davey O'Brien Award National Quarterback of the Week, a Manning Award Star of the Week by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and the SEC offensive player of the week following his performance in the Bulldogs' victory over Kentucky, a game in which he passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns. The six touchdowns in a single contest tied the school record set by Jackie Parker in 1952 and Prescott became the first player in school history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game. This was the fourth time that he has been named SEC Offensive Player of the Week, the most in program history. Prescott received further national recognition by being placed on several national award watch lists including being named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, a semifinalist for both the Maxwell Award and the Davey O'Brien Award, placed on the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Manning Award, the Wuerffel Trophy, and the Senior Bowl, and won the Senior CLASS Award as well as being awarded the 2017 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award. For the season he passed for 3,793 yards, 29 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns.
In Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, Prescott threw for 299 yards and 3 passing touchdowns in a 41–35 victory. In Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills, Prescott struggled throughout the game, taking three sacks and completing 21 of 34 passes for 134 yards and an interception in a 31–10 loss. In the following week against the Miami Dolphins, Prescott completed 20-of-32 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and lost a fumble in the 22–20 loss. In Week 17 against the Detroit Lions, Prescott threw 26 of 38 completions for 345 yards and two touchdowns, including a 92-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb, and an interception in a narrow 20–19 win. The 92-yard touchdown pass was the second-longest pass in franchise history, behind a 95-yard connection between Don Meredith and Bob Hayes in 1966.
In the season-opener against the New York Giants, Prescott threw 25 times for 405 yards and four touchdowns in the 35–17 win. Prescott's performance in the game gave him a perfect passer rating, the first Dallas quarterback to achieve the feat since Craig Morton on October 5, 1969. Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 1. In the following week against the Washington Redskins, Prescott completed 26 passes of 30 attempts for 269 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and rushed for 69 yards in a 31–21 win. Prescott became the first Dallas quarterback to compile seven touchdown passes in the first two regular season games since Don Meredith in 1966. In Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, Prescott went 19-of-32 passes for 246 yards with two passing touchdowns and one interception, and rushed for a touchdown, joining Roger Staubach's record of 20 career rushing touchdowns, in a 31–6 win.
With the Cowboys finishing the season with a 13–3 record, the team clinched the NFC East title. In the Divisional Round, the Cowboys faced the Green Bay Packers. Prescott completed 24 of 38 for 302 yards, with a quarterback rating of 103.2, and three touchdowns and an interception. Despite his strong performance, the Cowboys lost 34–31, ending their season. After a spectacular rookie season, Prescott was selected to the Pro Bowl and named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, receiving 28 of 50 votes, beating out running back and teammate Ezekiel Elliott by 7 votes. He finished sixth in MVP voting. He was ranked 14th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, becoming the second Cowboys quarterback to receive this award, joining Troy Aikman in 1989.
Rayne Dakota Prescott (/ˈdæk/; born July 29, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team All-SEC honors, and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Prescott ranks fourth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts, and is fifth in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.
Prescott's first regular-season start came on September 11 at home against the New York Giants, becoming the fourth rookie quarterback to open the season as a starter in franchise history, and the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Cowboys since Quincy Carter in 2001. He totaled 227 passing yards, as the Cowboys lost, 20–19. During Week 2 against the Washington Redskins, Prescott had 292 passing yards and a rushing touchdown as the Cowboys won, 27–23. Prescott threw his first NFL touchdown, a 17-yarder to wide receiver Dez Bryant, during the Cowboys' Week 3 matchup against the Chicago Bears. In total, he threw for 248 yards, the one touchdown, and also had a rushing score. The Cowboys won 31–17. In Week 4 at the San Francisco 49ers, Prescott passed for two touchdowns and 245 yards as the Cowboys won, 24–17. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5, Prescott threw for 227 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a touchdown in a 28–14 Cowboys victory. During Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers, Prescott had three touchdowns and 247 passing yards as the Cowboys won 30–16. The game marked the end of Prescott's interception-free streak. After a bye week, the Cowboys faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, and fellow rookie quarterback Carson Wentz for their first career matchup. The Cowboys prevailed in overtime 29–23, with Prescott totaling three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) on 287 passing yards.
Prescott was redshirted as a true freshman with Mississippi State in 2011. As a backup to Tyler Russell in 2012, he played in 12 games, completing 18 of 29 passes for 194 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also scored four rushing touchdowns, with 110 yards on 32 carries.
Prescott finished his 2016 rookie regular season with a record 11 games with an over 100 NFL passer rating, breaking the rookie record of nine games set by Russell Wilson in 2012. He tied the Ben Roethlisberger 2004 rookie record of winning 13 games as a starter. His NFL passer rating of 104.9 broke Robert Griffin III's rookie record of 102.4 set in 2012. His 0.87% interception to attempts (459–4) broke the rookie record of 1.27% (393–5) set by Robert Griffin III. He threw 23 touchdowns and 4 interceptions for a touchdown to interception ratio of 5.75 breaking the previous rookie record of 4.00 (20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions) set by Robert Griffin III, and for a touchdown to interception differential of 19 breaking Russell Wilson's rookie record of 16 (26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions). His 67.76% pass completion percentage broke the rookie record of 66.44% set by Ben Roethlisberger. In a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 18, 2016, Prescott, with an 88.9% completion percentage, broke the rookie single game record of 87.0% set by Mike Glennon in 2013.
Prescott is a Christian. He is the son of Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott and has two older brothers, Tad and Jace, an older sister, Natalie Prescott-Smith, and an older half-brother, Elliott Prescott, from his father's previous marriage. Jace was an offensive lineman at Northwestern State. His mother died of colon cancer in November 2013. The Faith Fight Finish Foundation by Dak Prescott has been established in her honor, which helps people deal with adversity. His older brother Jace committed suicide in April 2020. His father is African American and his late mother was White. Prescott currently resides in Frisco, Texas.
In his first season as a full-time starter in 2014, Prescott led the Bulldogs to a 10–2 regular season record, its first #1 ranking in program history, and led them to the Orange Bowl. During the 2014 season, Prescott broke 10 school records including: single season passing yards (3,449), total yards of total offense (4,435), passing touchdowns (27), and total touchdowns (41). Additionally his 14 rushing touchdowns is tied for fourth in school history. Prescott also garnered several accolades throughout and following the season. He was named the Manning Award Player of the Week five times (vs. UAB, at LSU, vs. Texas A&M, vs. Auburn, vs. Vanderbilt); the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Week three times (at LSU, vs. Auburn, vs. Vanderbilt); the Athlon Sports, Davey O'Brien, Maxwell Award Player of the Week twice each (at LSU, vs. A&M); and the 24/7 Sports National Offensive Player of Week (at LSU). He was named a 2014 Honorable Mention All-American by SI.com; named to the 2014 First-team All-SEC team by the AP, Coaches, and ESPN.com; and on the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. He won the Conerly Trophy and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award, and the Manning Award. He also finished eighth in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting and received two first-place votes.
During Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings, the Cowboys won 17–15, with Prescott passing for 139 yards and one touchdown. In Week 14, the Cowboys were dealt their second loss on the season, by a score of 10–7, from division rival New York Giants, with Prescott passing for 169 yards and one touchdown in the contest. In Week 15, the Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26–20, with Prescott providing 279 passing yards and one rushing touchdown. Against the Detroit Lions in Week 16, the Cowboys won 42–21. Prescott passed for 212 yards and three touchdowns. In the Week 17 regular season finale, with the top playoff seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) clinched, the Cowboys decided to rest several starters. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 27–13, with Prescott only attempting eight passes for a total of 37 yards before being benched. As a rookie, Prescott started all 16 games with 3,667 passing yards, 282 rushing yards, 29 total touchdowns, and only four interceptions, and his 67.8% completion percentage ranked fourth among NFL quarterbacks in 2016.
During Week 9 against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, Prescott's first pass attempt was intercepted by Antoine Bethea. Afterwards, he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns in the 37–18 road victory. In Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings on NBC Sunday Night Football, Prescott threw for 397 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 28–24 loss. During Week 11 against the Detroit Lions, Prescott finished with 444 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns in the 35–27 road victory. For his efforts, Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in 2019.
The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Prescott on March 16, 2020, worth $31.4 million for the 2020 season. He signed the tender on June 22, 2020. In Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams on NBC Sunday Night Football, Prescott threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 30 yards as the Cowboys lost 20–17. In Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, Prescott threw for 450 passing yards and a touchdown, and rushed for three additional touchdowns to help the Cowboys win 40–39. At one point during the game, the Falcons had a twenty-point lead over the Cowboys, but Prescott's four second half touchdowns aided by a successful onside kick and a last-second field goal won the game for the Cowboys. He became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in the same game. Prescott was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 2. During Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, Prescott finished with 472 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Cowboys lost 38–31. During Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, Prescott finished with 502 passing yards, four touchdowns, an interception, and a lost fumble as the Cowboys lost 49–38. He became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 450 yards in three consecutive games.
In the Week 5 37–34 win against the New York Giants, Prescott suffered an injury to his right ankle, and was carted off the field. He completed 14 passes for 166 yards and an interception plus had a receiving touchdown before leaving. It was revealed that he had suffered a compound fracture and dislocation to his right ankle, and he underwent surgery the same night, ending his season. Prescott was placed on season-ending injured reserve on October 19, 2020.
The Cowboys placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott for the second consecutive season on March 9, 2021, and he signed a four-year contract extension with the Cowboys the next day for $160 million with $126 million guaranteed. The deal included a $66 million signing bonus, the highest in NFL history at the time (it was surpassed in 2023 by quarterback Lamar Jackson's contract with the Baltimore Ravens). In June 2021, he left Adidas and signed a five-year deal with Jordan. In his first game back from his injury in Week 1 against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Kickoff Game, Prescott threw for 403 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in a 31–29 loss. In Week 6, Prescott threw for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a 35–29 overtime win over the New England Patriots. His performance earned him NFC Offensive Player Of The Week. In Week 16, Prescott threw four touchdowns in a 56–14 blowout win against the Washington Football Team as the Cowboys would go on to clinch the NFC East division title. For his performance against Washington, Prescott earned another NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 18, Prescott threw for 295 yards and five touchdowns in a 51–26 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Intended to serve as a backup in his rookie season, Prescott became the Cowboys' starting quarterback after starter Tony Romo was injured in the preseason. He went on to lead the Cowboys to the top seed of the National Football Conference (NFC) and set several rookie quarterback records, earning him Offensive Rookie of the Year. Prescott has since led the Cowboys to three additional division titles and made three Pro Bowl appearances. In 2022, he won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
On November 26, 2023, Prescott's girlfriend Sarah Jane Ramos announced via Instagram that the couple were expecting the birth of a baby girl. On March 4, Prescott announced that the baby was born on February 29, 2024.