Dak Prescott. A polarizing figure amongst the Dallas Cowboys’ fan base who is on the brink of becoming the team’s highest-paid player in franchise history.

A guy whose win-loss percentage since entering the NFL in 2016 is only rivaled by the great Tom Brady over that three-year span. Yet, many fans question if he has done enough to warrant being the franchise leader going forward.

Prescott enters his fourth full year as the man behind center for the Cowboys. For some, that means nothing. For others, it reminds them of the last time they saw Tony Romo in a Dallas jersey. But it could mark the beginning of a special season for the Cowboys and Prescott if history remains consistent.

Now you can look over the careers of the last two great Dallas quarterbacks, Romo and Troy Aikman, and see they both enjoyed arguably their best statistical years during their fourth year.

Romo, in his fourth year after becoming the starter, threw for nearly 4500 yards in 2009, 26 touchdowns, nine interceptions. He went 11-5 and boasted a 97.6 quarterback rating. It was also the first year he was able to secure a playoff win.

Aikman went 13-3, threw for a career-high 3,445 yards, had 23 TDs and capped off the season with a super bowl victory. You can even take Russell Wilson’s fourth year and look at his 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions and realize the maturation process these quarterbacks took in that year.

But Prescott is not them. He’s Dak. And aside from the obvious reasons for hoping he’s successful this year, there is another reason you should keep your eye on number 4.

2010. Prescott’s senior year of high school at Haughton High in Louisiana. His fourth-year on the team and the first time he’s looked at to be the man on the field. He completed 159-of-258 passes for 2,860 yards and 39 touchdowns.

His production doesn’t end there as he also rushed for 951 yards with 17 touchdowns, along with leading the Buccaneers to become 2010 District 1-AAA champions. In fact, Haughton was undefeated (12-0) before they lost in the quarterfinals to Franklinton, 49-41.

It was the deepest the team had gone while Prescott attended the school.

2015. Five years removed from high school, but four years since he made his first appearance in a Mississippi State jersey. Prescott has a career-high in completions, completion percentage, yards, touchdowns and a career low in interceptions. Nearly 3,800 yards passing, 29 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In addition, he added 588 yards rushing on 160 attempts with 10 touchdowns.

His dynamic performance captivated college fans around the country and even led to the Bulldogs being ranked number 1 in the AP polls after a 6-1 stretch during the mid-point of the season. He ended that 2015 season as first-team All-SEC and the Belk Bowl MVP.

Prescott also became only the second athlete to become a two-time Conerly Trophy recipient, which is an award given annually to the best college football player in Mississippi by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Prescott dawns No. 4 to honor his mother’s birthday, Nov. 4. The number represents hope and allows Prescott to push forward through adversity. Concurrently, the number has also represented growth throughout Prescott’s career. 4. A fourth-round draft pick entering his fourth-year in the NFL in perhaps the most important year of his football life.

Don’t be shocked if history shines favorably on Prescott and the number 4 yet again.