After transferring to Mizzou from Clemson ahead of the 2019 season, QB Kelly Bryant didn’t have the year he wanted.

First of all, nagging injuries limited his effectiveness. Secondly, the NCAA upheld a one-year postseason ban for the Tigers only days before they played their final game of the season (winning against Arkansas in a game that would have clinched bowl eligibility).

So, how does Bryant continue to overcome adversity as the 2020 NFL Draft approaches? During an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show” this week, Bryant relayed a story about spending time in the hospital when he was in high school:

“Just so we’re clear about this, you went to the hospital and doctors found a softball-sized abscess and you were diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease,” Rome explains. “You spent all that time there. You lost nearly, actually more than, 50 pounds. Your parents were at your bedside every single night. Your grandmothers were there during the day. It seems to me it would have been pretty easy for you to say, ‘Man, football’s just not in the cards. My career is over.’ But you didn’t. How come?”

“I’m a fighter,” Bryant said. “It’s been the story of my life. I’ve had to deal with a lot of things, adverse situations. Whenever I have a tough time, I just revert back to being in that hospital bed, looking at my grandmothers every day while my parents were at work. It gives me extra fuel to my fight. That’s just been my testament, my story, each and every day when I get out of bed.”

Will Bryant be drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft? He’ll have some work to do at the NFL Combine this week, but adversity has never stopped him before.