That’s when the quarterback, seven tumultuous years removed from his national title, finally received his diploma.
“This will rank No. 1 because it is what I came to school for,” Young told CBSSports.com on Thurday. “I came here to get an education, and to win a national championship. And now, I get to put that smile on my mom’s face.
“I’m about to be the first in my family to graduate. Just finishing what I started. That’s why I’m trying to get back in the NFL. To finish what I started. That is the type of guy I am. I do work hard — even when the times are good or bad. That’s just how I was raised.”
Young was 30-plus credit hours short of a degree in Youth and Community Studies when he declared for the NFL draft in 2006. He began returning to Austin for classes in the offseason early in his career, but he only recently fulfilled all of his requirements. He walked with the rest of the 2013 graduating class on Friday morning, one day before his 30th birthday.
Photo via Twitter/@UT_Bianco