When Athens offensive lineman Kannon Biggs set a goal to play Division I college football, Golden Eagles coach Cody Gross told him what he needed to do to reach that level.

Biggs did that and more, and not only did it lead to a scholarship offer from Troy University, but it also landed him a spot in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game.

“Kannon has come a million miles, and I think he’s still got a long way to go,” Gross said. “I don’t think he’s come close to being the best that he’s going to be. I think he’s going to be a really, really good player for Troy before he leaves that place.”

Biggs was not originally selected for the Alabama-Mississippi game, but when an offensive lineman who was selected had to decline the invitation, Biggs was the next player called.

“I almost couldn’t believe it,” Biggs said when Gross told him about the invitation. “A lot of people said I should have been picked from the beginning, but I’m just happy to be selected. It’s unbelievable the number of great players who are going to be in this game, and to play with them is an honor.”

At this time last year, a commitment to Troy and selection to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game didn’t seem like a plausible goal for Biggs. He had the talent but still needed to transform himself physically to become bigger and stronger, Gross said.

“He had a goal to play Division I football, and he changed his body through his diet,” Gross said. “The dedication it took for him to do that has carried over to the weight room, practice field and all aspects of his life. Anybody who has tried to stick to a nutrition plan knows how hard that is, and he did it. And it has transformed his game. Just the dedication it took, not many people his age would do that.”

Biggs said he had a meeting with Gross after last season, and the coach told him what he needed to do to change his physique. It was up to him to do it.

“He basically said if I wanted to go and do what I really wanted in college, that was going to have to happen,” Biggs said. “I made a decision that’s what I wanted to do, so I put forth the effort and my parents put forth the effort to help me. I stayed as dedicated as I could do it.”

That dedication impressed Gross, who said having a player willing to put in hard work outside of team practices made life easier for him as a coach.

“We talk to our guys all the time about the things we do here, and how we demand a lot from them, and they give a lot to us,” Gross said. “But really how good the individual is going to be and how good we are as a team is dependent on what they do outside these gates. They have a part they have to take care of on their own. I’m not dumb enough to think all of them do it, but there’s the occasional one who does, and it does make you proud. I have nothing to do with it. That’s something inside of him. He has to be intrinsically motivated to do that.”

Gross said having a player in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game is something the entire school and community can take pride in, especially considering the hard work Biggs has put in to make it happen.

“I’m very, very proud of him,”Gross said. “Two years ago, if you had told me he was going to play in the Alabama-Mississippi game, I wouldn’t have believed that. But it’s a testament to his hard work and dedication. He made a choice that he wanted to be special, and he’s gone and done it.”