College football is full of highs and lows for every player and coach, but no player knows more about perseverance and fighting through the lows than University of Mississippi senior defensive back Senquez Golson. He traveled farther than most to turn 2014 into a breakout season.
In October 2011, Golson made every sports-highlight show for all the wrong reasons. That season, he missed University of Alabama running back Trent Richardson twice in a single 76-yard touchdown run. Golson missed a tackle in the backfield and then raced down field, only for Richardson to juke him so badly that Golson fell to the ground.
Golson nearly quit the after head coach Houston Nutt was fired during the 2011 season, and current Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze nearly ran him the defensive back off the team.
Freeze questioned Golson's heart, desire and will to become a good football player. Even Golson admits he didn't put in the work in the weight or film rooms like he should have during his first three seasons in Oxford.
But things weren't always so athletically low for Golson. He was a highly sought-after recruit at Pascagoula High School in both baseball and football, and Rivals.com rated him the 33rd best cornerback in the nation. He even turned down a $1.1 million contract from the Boston Red Sox in 2011 to play at Ole Miss.
Golson gave up baseball during his freshman year, but still delivered forgettable football seasons in his sophomore and junior years.
Golson put in more work this year than in his past three seasons, and it showed on the field. Finally, Golson lived up to his lofty recruiting ranking from high school. Perhaps the best moment came this October when Golson did a ballerina toe-tap to complete an interception with 37 seconds left, securing the Rebels' 23-17 win over Alabama. The senior made every highlight show once again, but this time, media outlets were praising his play against Alabama.
Now, Golson is second in the nation with nine interceptions this season behind University of Louisville defensive back Gerod Holliman, who has an amazing 14 picks. He is the current career leader in interceptions with 15 during his four-year career.
Golson was a finalist for the 2014 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given to the nation's top defensive player. The only other Ole Miss player to be a finalist for the award was linebacker Patrick Willis.
The senior was also semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award and a finalist for the Conerly Trophy, given to the best football player at a four-year university or college in Mississippi, though Mississippi State University quarterback Dak Prescott came away with the honor.
Golson will finish his Ole Miss career in a bowl game. After that, he will play in the senior bowl and prepare for the 2015 NFL Draft.
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