GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The decision came with a deal that could not be broken.
When former Gators defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap entered the 2010 NFL Draft after his junior season, he made a pledge to the career educator back in North Charleston, S.C.
"I promised her I would come back,'' Dunlap said this week. "That was part of the negotiations. It's not the regular offseason that most of my peers are having. I've been going to school."
Six years, 86 games and 49 sacks later, Dunlap is making good on that promise to his mother, Diane Ross, who is principal at Goodwin Elementary School in Dunlap's hometown. Before Dunlap starts his seventh season with the Cincinnati Bengals, he will be a college graduate.
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The two are in Chicago this weekend for the NFL Draft, where Dunlap introduced Cincinnati's third-round pick Friday night. Instead of walking across the stage at UF in his cap and gown, he wore them to the podium at the draft to participate in UF's commencement ceremonies.
Ross is one proud mama.
"I told him if I can't see you march, I'm going somewhere to see you in your cap and gown,'' Ross said Thursday prior to departing for Chicago. "I'll be right there with my camera taking lots of pictures."
Growing up, Dunlap was constantly reminded by his mother about the importance of education. She was a teacher who returned to school around the time Dunlap was ready for college to earn her doctoral degree.
The example she set for Dunlap and his sister Bianca made a lasting impact.
"During recruiting, she always looked at the schools for education and my dad always looked at them for the competition in athletics,'' Dunlap said. "She went back to school so that she could be a principal."
Dunlap was a standout player at Florida who was named Defensive MVP of the 2009 BCS National Championship Game against Oklahoma as a sophomore. He opted to skip his senior season and was taken by the Bengals in the second round.
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Carlos Dunlap, back row in black shirt, during an outing as part of his Dunlap Scholars Award program. (Photo: Courtesy of NFLPA)
Ross was concerned if her son was ready to be a full-time adult and whether he would return to school after those NFL paychecks started to arrive.
"I was very hesitant about him leaving,'' she said. "But he promised me. He knows the importance of education because I'm always stressing that. I didn't have to pressure him [to return to school]. I didn't have to say a word. He amazes me every day with his maturity."
Dunlap first returned to UF after the 132-day NFL lockout in 2011 to start work toward finishing his degree in family and community sciences. He focused on football during the season and in the offseason, he either returned to campus or took online courses.
Over time, the 27-year-old Dunlap's interest in continuing his education extended beyond finishing his undergraduate degree. Next up is an MBA to help in his plans after football.
As he carved out a productive career with the Bengals – Dunlap finished with a career-high 13.5 sacks last season – he has returned home on occasion to North Charleston to speak at his mom's school about doing well in school and to give back to the community by hosting a youth football camp.
Dunlap played at Fort Dorchester High and after his rookie season in 2010, was joined in the NFL by two former high school teammates, Miami cornerback Byron Maxwell and Rams defensive end Robert Quinn.
The grown-up Dunlap is determined to do more than graduate college. He wants to inspire others.
"I saw how much the youth football camp we do back home impacted the kids,'' he said. "So Cincinnati is my current community. I felt like there was a need for a lot of things in the community."
With the help of his mother, Dunlap founded
the Dunlap Rewards Scholars program that offers incentives to inner-city athletes in Cincinnati to do well in school and make it a goal to go to college. When the students meet certain criteria, Dunlap rewards them with Bengals tickets, outings to Reds games, and other community outings.
"We try and keep them motivated,'' he said. "We also work with them as mentors. The reason why I really wanted to go back and make an impact in my community was because early on in high school, I wasn't exactly the best athlete on my team. For me to be the first one to go to a big college and go to the NFL, I wanted to leave that door open for the next."
The cap and gown he wore Friday night was just another symbol of how far Dunlap has come.
His mom was proud the night he was drafted six years ago. She sounded genuinely delighted this time around.
"It will all pay off in the long run,'' she said. "The NFL is Not For Long, so you need to have a backup plan."
