At an athletically rich school like UCLA, it’s not unusual to see student-athletes hobbling around campus, recovering from surgery or injuries they’ve incurred during the season. But when the student is a current professional football player — well, that’s a bit of a rarity.
Maurice Jones-Drew, running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is back on campus to complete more classes toward his degree. He attended UCLA from 2003 to 2005 and left after his junior year to enter the 2006 NFL draft, where he was picked by the Jaguars in the second round. Late last year, after Jones-Drew had foot surgery and was placed on injured reserve, he decided to use his recovery time to attend class.
"Coming down Bruin Walk, it’s like I’m 18 again," said the former UCLA All-American, who is fulfilling a promise he made to his grandparents to come back and finish his degree. Jones-Drew chatted recently with UCLA’s Ralph Irvin about his return to school.