OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Kellen Moore’s college coach heard from his former quarterback while Moore was thinking about trading his helmet for a whistle.

The next thing Chris Petersen knew, Moore was in charge of Dak Prescott as quarterbacks coach of the Dallas Cowboys not too long after sitting third on the depth chart behind the 2016 NFL offensive rookie of the year.

“When I heard that, I think, ‘Really? You’re sitting next to the guys and now you’ve got the chalk and you’re telling them exactly what to do?’” said Petersen, now at Washington after coaching Moore at Boise State. “It’s not like he played for a long, long time in the NFL. I think all those things just speak to how rare he is and how special he is.”

Nobody close to Moore is surprised he ended up in coaching. They’ve been saying that about him since he was winning high school state championships under his dad, Tom Moore, in Washington. The only surprise is that his younger brother, Fresno State receivers coach Kirby Moore, beat him into coaching by several years.

That’s because Kellen Moore’s NFL career lasted six years despite him playing just three regular-season games after going 50-3 as the starter at Boise State.