The No. 1 wide receiver in the NorCal conference of community colleges, sophomore Bryan Fobbs, started his football career by trying out his freshmen year of high school.

The twist? “I wasn’t even that good,” Fobbs said. He went to summer camps after his first season to hone his skills.

He improved each year, turning him into the player he is today. His mindset is “to be better than everybody else.” Fobbs is hardworking and understands the value of education and family.

He credits his mom for his inspiration because “she was a single mom until she met my stepdad, putting me through private school even though we didn’t have the means for it,” he said. “She broke her back to let me have an opportunity, and for that I’m grateful.”

As for education, he believes in doing well in school. “Without having good grades, you can’t even play. Plus you need to have education in your life to be successful,” said Fobbs. He said his goal is to transfer to a four-year university, where he hopes to play college ball as well as earn a degree.

“I’m talking to a few schools right now, and by the end of the season I hope I’ll recieve some offers,” Fobbs said.

What’s a schedule like for a star football player? Literally school and football, around the clock.

“Outside of football, I don’t do anything,” Fobbs said. “I go to class in the morning, hang out in the library or the quad, then head off to practice which ends at 6 p.m. and by then, I’m drained.”

“Fridays, I don’t want to go out because we have games on Saturdays,” Fobbs said. “Saturday, I don’t go out because we just had a game, then Sunday I just relax and check up on my fantasy football players.”

Fobbs said he looks up to Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson. “He’s just a definition of a beast. He’s blazing fast and can’t be stopped. And he came out of high school with a 4.0 GPA.”

His advice for students and future athletes: “Stay on top of school. Make sure you do right by your parents because by the end of the day, they’re all you have. And to all the athletes, do your research and find ways to be better.”