ST. JOSEPH
The past three seasons were not the best of times for football at Southern Mississippi, the years defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches opened as a starter. The Golden Eagles went winless in a dozen games in 2012, and over the next two seasons, the program went 4-20, and Nunez-Roches spent most of one of those years rehabbing a knee injury.
For many, these are the circumstances that test resolve and dedication. To Nunez-Roches, who moved from Belize in Central America when he was 8 with his mother looking for better opportunities and struggled to the point where they found themselves homeless and sleeping in a car, football and where it has taken Nunez-Roches is a blessing.