On Monday, Trevone Boykin fielded questions from hundreds of reporters gathered in Dallas for the Big 12 media circus. Cameramen brought stepstools to catch a glimpse of the star attraction, and one guy handed the quarterback a phone and requested a selfie. Last week, the same media members voted Boykin as the conference’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

The current Heisman favorite (as far as Las Vegas is concerned) admitted a slight bit of awe about all the attention. “Unbelievable,” he said of the turnaround from 2013’s 4-8 finish to his now being frontrunner for college football’s biggest prize.

But mostly Boykin was as down to earth as he normally is. Over and over, he emphasized the overall good of the team, collectively the preseason Big 12 favorites. Asked about tight end Dominic Merka, he spoke more at length about his teammate than he did to any question about his own play.

“I’m the same person I’ve been since day one,” Boykin said. And the team’s conference and national championship goals have “been the same since I stepped on campus.”

The Horned Frogs came oh-so-close last year, sharing the Big 12 crown with Baylor and taking out their frustrations at being left out of the college football playoff on Ole Miss in the 2014 Chick fil A Peach Bowl.

“It’s something we’ll always have to deal with,” Boykin said of the playoff drama and the tear-inducing regular season loss to Baylor. But also: “something that you move on from.”

Though he has now started 28 games at quarterback in the last three seasons, Boykin handled countless questions about switching positions from wide receiver. Sure, he has acted like a football Swiss army knife on occasion, but the persistent narrative is tired. Boykin came to TCU to play quarterback and has been under center for the majority of snaps since his freshman year. He also owns or is pressing hard on almost every TCU passing record.

As his coach Gary Patterson reminded the same reporters earlier in the morning, “If you were listening … really [Trevone] was the toughest quarterback that I’ve played against.”

Trevone Boykin and Gary Patterson talk trophies at Big 12 Media Days. (Photo by Michael Clements)

Patterson has been singing Boykin’s praises for several years, but the general public arrived late to the party. Last season Boykin was a Davey O’ Brien award finalist and the Big 12 conference offensive player of the year. He also won the prestigious Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award.

Campbell, who Boykin said he talks to “on a daily basis,” has counseled the young man to stay humble and not put himself above the team. And to keep improving. Mistakes “just can’t happen,” Boykin said of how he wants to run the high-powered TCU offense in 2015.

The yard-gobbling system co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie installed in 2014 surpassed all expectations. Patterson said he doesn’t know what to think about continued progression: “Everybody has always told me there’s … another level second year … I’m going to wait and see.”

Cumbie told Boykin the high-octane offense is “going to go as far as you want to take it.” Hard to fathom, as the quarterback set TCU’s single-season passing record last year with 3,901 yards.

With an additional 3,161 this year, he will claim TCU’s all-time career passing mark. He can do it if he continues to slow down while reading opposing defenses and maximizing opportunities.

Boykin did not care to discuss individual records or accomplishments. “I’m just a small piece of the puzzle,” he said. “Everyone plays a role.”

Despite the litany of questions and glare of cameras, Boykin said he wasn’t feeling pressure due to the high expectations. As the head coach recommends, he said he is being himself and staying grounded.

Patterson said Boykin knows how to keep success in perspective: “He understands that he’s only going to go as far as the whole team goes. If he has a great season, then that probably means TCU has a great season.”