Photo courtesy of USA Today.

Sharrif Floyd is a senior at Washington High School. He’s 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, and can bench 400. And now, thanks to help from his teachers and a generous stranger, the offensive and defensive lineman for the Eagles’ football team, Floyd “has his choice of colleges” [source].

Floyd, who was raised by his grandmother, has faced his fair share of obstacles in his life, as he explained to USA Today. Born prematurely, Floyd weighed less than four pounds – practically nothing compared to the 275 he weighed as a high school freshman. Then last year, he tore a ligament in his left knee. Though he came back as a key player in a game against La Salle, few colleges took notice, leaving Floyd with far more limited options than he’d expected.

But now, with the help of fund raisers, alumni donations and a check from an anonymous La Salle parent, Floyd can make the trip to the U.S. Army Combine in San Antonio, where he was invited in January. Unable to afford the trip at the time, Floyd was finally able to visit, and now plans to announce his college choice during a press conference Jan. 9 at the U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio.