Maurice Jones-Drew has a wife, three kids and nearly $30 million accrued over the past four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So what is he doing living 3,000 miles away from home in a freshman dorm at UCLA?
Taking advantage of the league-sponsored back-to-school program for NFL players, Jones-Drew told SI.com's Jim Trotter that he's following through on a promise to his grandmother that he would return to get his degree in history.
Eight years after leaving school as a junior in 2005, Jones-Drew felt like a "dinosaur" when he walked back into the classroom for the first time and noticed fellow students taking notes on their iPads while he pulled out a pencil and notebook.
Although Jones-Drew now enjoys pizza and "Madden NFL" games with his suite mates, the transition back to school hasn't been all fun and games.
"I almost just stopped coming. It was too hard," Jones-Drew said. "But it would have been too easy to say 'to hell with this' and go on about your day. I'm glad I stuck it out."
Jones-Drew has visions of going on to law school, becoming a general manager and eventually gaining a partnership interest in an NFL team.
His more immediate goal, however, is to get back to 100 percent following December surgery to repair a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot. If all goes as planned, he will get back in a regular shoe this weekend, begin running in May and go full-speed in June practices.
New Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley plans to "run the rock," which has Jones-Drew believing he can become the eighth player in league history to reach 2,000 rushing yards.
"That's what I'm thinking," he said while working out with UCLA's medical staff. "Adrian Peterson."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling
