This year, national signing day provided the chance for one young man to lose a fortune—and he is absolutely ecstatic about it.

Normally, you would shake your head and proclaim youth as the reason that any kid would throw it all away. Instead, Myles Crosby turning down male modeling for college football is quite the invigorating tale.

The Dallas Morning News (h/t Yahoo! Sports) reports on quite the peculiar story revolving around the 6'3", 205-pound Colleyville Heritage senior who has signed with SMU (via Texas HS Football):

The young man sacrificed a handsome sum of money and tremendous fame to be a near-anonymous part of a larger team.

And he loves it.

To truly grasp what he is giving up, consider this part of the report.

At 17 he became one of the youngest stars in the industry and posed in Calvin Klein ads for jeans, underwear and the Euphoria fragrance. He has graced the pages of Esquire, GQ and Vanity Fair, to name only a few... ...Crosby is the 11th-ranked male model in the world, according to Models.com. If he entered modeling full time right now, Gerald Frankowski, the director of the men’s division at the Kim Dawson Agency, said the young star would “easily” be earning a six-figure income.

When you watch all these top recruits fly off the boards on Wednesday, consider that each one is striving to become bigger and better, perhaps one day securing fame and fortune.

Crosby had both already, and he gave them up.

The 18-year-old defensive back is adamant that he is doing the right thing, and we completely agree. In the aforementioned article, Crosby said:



I’m told I’m so stupid by every single person. That every single person in my shoes should drop out of school now and go make the money. I have a passion for football and I want an education. This modeling crap could only last another year and then I’d have no education and never get to play football. I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

What a baller.

Crosby is doing right by him, and nobody else. It's a lesson that is so simple, but one that goes unheeded by people far older than this male model-turned college football player.

The same can be said for star Olympian Missy Franklin, who turned down millions in endorsement deals just to swim once again for her high school swim team.

You can always make money, but earning the memories you dream of having is priceless.

Crosby can always go back to modeling, or perhaps see that window close when his four years are over.

What's important for him is that he didn't see his football opportunity pass him by just because he was living other people's wishes to fruition.

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