Prescott Named Phil Steele All-American; Five Named All-SEC
December 18, 2015 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott was named athird-team All-American by Phil Steele, the publication announced Thursday. In addition, Prescott was named to the media outlet's All-Southeastern Conference Team along with teammates Fred Ross, De'Runnya Wilson, Brandon Hollowayand Richie Brown.
Under the direction of seventh-year head coach Dan Mullen, MSU has now had eight players earn All-America honors after the Bulldogs had none in the eight seasons prior to Mullen's arrival.
A first-team All-SEC selection, Prescott joined former Mullen-coached quarterback Tim Tebow as the only two players in SEC history to total 25 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in multiple seasons. Prescott led the SEC in conference games this fall in completions (226), completion percentage (67.1), passing yards (2,528), touchdown-to-interception ratio (17:4), passing yards per game (316.2) and total offense per game (363.2). The senior also finished second in league games with a 144.3 passing efficiency rating and tied for fifth in points scored (48).
The Haughton, Louisiana, native broke his own single-season school records for completion percentage (66.9 in 2015; 61.6 in 2014) and yards per game (284.4 in 2015; 265.3 in 2014). In games against Top-25 opponents, Prescott led the SEC in completions (87), completion percentage (63.5), passing yards (889) and passing yards per game (296.3). Prescott was also the only player in the SEC to lead his team in both passing and rushing on the season and one of only six players in the Power 5 Conferences to do so.
Wilson joined Prescott on the first team after finishing sixth in the SEC with 72.9 yards per conference game and tying for seventh with 5.2 yards per catch in league action. The junior also finished second in the SEC with nine receiving touchdowns in 12 games overall.
Ross earned second-team accolades after leading the conference in league games with 8.8 receptions per game and 93.2 receiving yards per game. Outside of his offensive responsibilities, the junior finished seventh in the league in punt return average per game and tied for ninth in all-purpose yards per game. He also led the league overall with a school-record 81 receptions.
No SEC receiver was better in games versus ranked teams, as the Tyler, Texas, native accumulated a league-best 29 receptions for 297 yards. He also finished the season strong, ranking second nationally in receptions (41) and fourth in receiving yards (500) during the month of November.
Holloway joined Ross on the second team as a kick returner after finishing second in the conference with 498 kickoff return yards. Along with Heisman Trophy finalist Christian McCaffrey of Stanford and San Jose State's Tyler Ervin, the Tampa, Florida, native was one of three FBS players with at least 300 rushing yards, 300 receiving yards and 450 kickoff return yards.
Brown was named to the third team after becoming the first Bulldog since 2012 to tally 100-plus tackles in a season. The junior finished the regular season with 101 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and an interception.
The Maroon and White return to action Wednesday, Dec. 30, as they battle N.C. State in the Belk Bowl. The 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be televised live on ESPN. For more information on the Maroon and White, follow "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find all-access coverage of the Bulldogs on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
