Hardrick was fresh out of South Panola High School in Batesville, Mississippi (population 7,463), one of the nation's most dominant high school programs.

"Jermarcus raised his hand and said, 'Coach, do I have to go to class here? I didn't go to class in high school,'" Sims recalled. "And I said, 'Yes, you do have to go to class.' It's interesting. He's very easy to coach. When I said he needed to start going to class, he started going to class. Now, with his degree in hand, he's a great example of what a place like the University of Nebraska can do."

As Hardrick progressed further and further in his schooling, he was driven by the desire to "change the cycle" in his family, he said. He wanted to show his three children -- ages 5, 3 and 2 -- the importance of education. He wanted to be an example. That's what drove him more than anything -- his wife, Samantha, and those three beautiful kids you see on his Twitter page.

What's more, he wanted to prove to himself he could do it. But there was even something else driving him: He wanted to prove to folks back home that it was possible to change the direction of their lives. After all, he had excuses to go down a wrong path. He grew up without a father in a town where it was easy to find trouble. His mother, Delores Hardrick, worked two jobs for as long as he can remember, including overnights as a CNA.