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Exactly one week after 11 Nebraska football players received their college diplomas, the Huskers’ third-leading tackler wants to experience one more major surprise before he decides what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

Senior safety Byerson Cockrell, a Sociology major from Columbus, Miss., by way of East Mississippi Community College, is the latest No Place Like Nebraska-kind of leader who wants to end his Husker career with an upset of UCLA in Santa Clara’s Foster Farms Bowl Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers.

“I never thought I'd come to Nebraska and never saw myself as a college grad until I realized how important it is to work every bit as hard in the classroom as you do on the field,” Cockrell told me last Saturday while sharing two of his most meaningful moments in the past month.

Two Days Before Senior Day, Cockrell Learned His Mom Would Be There

Cockrell’s first memorable moment was Nebraska’s Senior Day season finale against Iowa. He had no idea anyone from his family would show up for that emotional event until teammate Dwayne Johnson Jr. delivered great news two days before Thanksgiving – Johnson and his girlfriend, plus David Knevel, Marcus Newby, Chongo Kondolo and Zach Hannon bought Cockrell's mom a round-trip plane ticket so she could experience Senior Day live.

“When I heard that, it almost brought tears to my eyes,” said Nebraska Executive Associate Athletic Director Dennis Leblanc, who said Cockrell (above with Mike Riley and below with his mom) has been a role-model scholarship student-athlete since his arrival in Lincoln.

Second Most Memorable Moment: Getting Degree with His Mom Watching

Last Saturday was an equally memorable moment for Cockrell, who received his degree at Pinnacle Bank Arena with his mother watching. A celebration luncheon followed inside Memorial Stadium for 34 Huskers receiving bachelor’s degrees and one earning a post-graduate degree.

“That meant the world to my mother and me,” Cockrell said. “It was such a blessing to come to Nebraska. I’m the first person in my family to receive a college degree. Basically, I proved something that means more than football. Now that I’ve earned my degree, I want to try to motivate others who have struggled like I once did.

“It doesn’t matter if you come from the lowest place you can imagine, anything’s possible. You can accomplish whatever you want if you put your mind into it,” said Cockrell, who’s considering graduate school. Having committed to take a post-graduate trip to the Dominican Republic next spring, Cockrell with join fellow Husker student-athletes who will follow in the footsteps of an inaugurual student-athlete trip to Guatemala.

From left: Daniel Davie, Byerson Cockrell, Dennis Leblanc, Joe Keels, Vincent Valentine celebrate 2015 graduation.

Why Cockrell and His Mom Know That There Really is No Place like Nebraska

One fact seems certain. Whatever Cockrell tackles from this point forward and wherever he might end up, “I will talk about Nebraska and continue to celebrate Nebraska like it’s my favorite home,” he said. “Whether I know the people or not, I will give them a hug and tell them that there really is no place like Nebraska. To come from where I came from and end up in a place like Nebraska, it just can’t get any better that that anywhere.

“Being a first-generation college graduate means a lot to me,” Cockrell said. “I wanted to come here and fight in the field and in the classroom. It’s a part of the culture to do whatever you can do to be successful. Once I realized what I was capable of doing, I wanted to start a trend, and my mom pushed me and encouraged me the most.”

New college graduate Byerson Cockrell became a 2015 Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection and a member of both the Tom Osborne and Brook Berringer Citizenship Teams.

Elizabeth Cockrell Had College Graduation Circled on the Calendar for a Year

Elizabeth Cockrell was a proud, humbled mother last Saturday in Lincoln. “Getting a plane ticket to see my son honored on Senior Day was the biggest surprise I’ve ever had,” she said. “I was thinking Bye wouldn’t have any family at Senior Day, but I thought it was more important to see him get his diploma. I’ve had that date circled on my calendar for a year. Bye had other choices, but he believed in Nebraska, and Nebraska believed in him. We both feel so blessed.”

On Saturday night, Cockrell (above with Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst), is hoping to help his teammates deliver the biggest surprise of all – an upset win over an 8-4 UCLA team on a national ESPN telecast. When Nebraska upset NCAA Final Four qualifier Michigan State, 39-38, in November, the Huskers proved they were capable of beating high-level programs. “We’re capable of beating anyone,” Cockrell said, “and this is a great opportunity to prove it.”

Nebraska Football’s 2015 December Student-Athlete Graduates

Tyson Broekemeier (Football) - Aurora, Neb. - Business Administration
Sam Burtch (Football) - Murdock, Neb. - Communication Studies
Byerson Cockrell (Football, above against Iowa) - Columbus, Miss. - Sociology
Daniel Davie (Football) - Beatrice, Neb. - Criminology & Criminal Justice
Jack Gangwish (Football) - Wood River, Neb. - Agricultural Economics
Joe Keels (Football) - Kenosha, Wis. - Sociology
Ryne Reeves (Football) - Crete, Neb. - Economics
Anthony Ridder (Football) - West Point, Neb. - Psychology
Zach Sterup (Football) - Hastings, Neb. - Economics/Finance
David Sutton (Football) - Lincoln, Neb. - Management/Marketing
Vincent Valentine (Football) - Edwardsville, Ill. - Sociology

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