CHAMPAIGN — Caleb Reams always took his schoolwork seriously. It was part of his makeup.
"My parents raised me to be a good student," Reams said.
Just to make sure, Lisa and Louis Reams offered a few incentives.
"I got rewarded for grades," Reams said. "My first cell phone came from getting a 4.0 in the seventh grade."
Reams brought his academic attitude to college. The Illinois junior tight end plans to become a speech therapist.
It isn't a field often picked by football players.
"I know I'm the only one now and I think I'm the only one in the past five years," Reams said.