Dak Prescott may not have much time left at Mississippi State
Dak Prescott may not have much time left at Mississippi State. (USATSI)

I hope Mississippi State fans are enjoying Dak Prescott as much as possible, because it turns out he may not be in Starkville much longer.

The Bulldogs quarterback -- and the current leader in the CBSSports.com Heisman race -- told Sports Illustrated that, if he's projected to be a first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, he's going to declare early.

“One of the worst things is not going, getting injured and hurting your situation,” said Prescott. “I wouldn’t risk it if I had a chance to go first round. I’m graduating college, and my time here will be done, I’ll do exactly what I wanted to do.

“When the time came and there’s an option, first, second or third round and I had the season I wanted to have, I’d go.”

It's certainly hard to blame Prescott for feeling this way, especially if he's graduating this year. Time and time again we've seen quarterbacks who were projected to be a top pick after their junior season come back to school for their senior season and see their draft stock plummet.

For every Andrew Luck, there are more Matt Barkleys. Just ask UCLA's Brett Hundley how he's feeling about his decision to return in 2014, and I'd bet he has some regrets about that call...particularly every time one of his offensive linemen fails to pick up a blitzer.

Where will Prescott be projected to go? It's really too early to tell for sure at this point, but CBSSports.com has him rated as the fifth-best quarterback prospect and projects him to go in the second round. That could definitely change as the season progresses, for better or worse, but you have to think more and more NFL scouts are taking notice of Prescott's abilities with each game he plays.

You may want to cherish this second half of the season, Bulldogs fans. I'm not sure you'll have another 12 chances to see Prescott in 2015.