Dak Prescott means a lot to the community of Starkville and everyone associated with Mississippi State University. His departure in a few months will be a blow to anyone who faithfully swings a cowbell.

In his tenure as a Bulldog he’s received two degrees — a master’s in workforce leadership and a bachelor’s in educational psychology — was a two-time All-American and All-SEC quarterback and holds 38 career, single-game and single-season records at Mississippi State.

Prescott’s thrown for 300 or more yards nine times in his career and has nine games with 100 or more rushing yards as well.

But the main thing I respect Prescott for is his selflessness as a person.

In a first-person letter he penned to Bulldogs fans in November on Campus Rush, a division of Sports Illustrated and Time Inc. Network, he talked about a being at a Japanese restaurant in Starkville when a little girl in a wheelchair was pushed up beside him.

“I’m sitting at a tall table and the little girl grabs my hand and just starts talking to me. She was telling me about school and this and that. She didn’t ask for a picture or anything, she just felt so comfortable talking to me. … That just made my day and shows how special our relationship with the fans is,” Prescott wrote.

In the same letter he voices his appreciation of his teammates, coaches, the university and the city of Starkville for the role they played in changing him from a 17-year-old “anonymous redshirt to a short-yardage specialist, to a Heisman Trophy candidate.”

“When I got here in the spring of 2011, I was naïve. … I came in and wanted to be the starting quarterback,” Prescott wrote. “That ended pretty quickly because I realized how much I needed to learn.”

I’m not a big believer in athletes needing to be role models, but Prescott is a model citizen and college athlete with only one blemish on his record.

Yes, he was involved in a fight while enjoying his spring break last offseason. But it’s unfair to hold him to being anything other than a college student and young adult enjoying his free time. He’s learned from the incident and moved on and proved his maturity. Looking back on his five playing seasons in Starkville, it’s hard to find another player who means more to his institution than Prescott.

“I’d say he might be the best player I’ve ever coached,” Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said. “If you look at my coaching resume, that’s pretty impressive.”

Here’s hoping Prescott continues to find success in the NFL or other life endeavors he pursues. Cowbells shall always ring in his honor.