"Last Chance U" isn’t just about football. This documentary shows real people who are trying to come back from their mistakes. The first and second season of this documentary series follows former D1 football athletes who lost scholarships or roster spots due to legal trouble, behavior, or chose to leave due to standing on the team. They leave their top ranked schools to play for the junior college East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi. So why do they leave the big times for junior college? Because they’re given a chance.

Every athlete on the East Mississippi Community College roster and in this small community college football league, for the most part, is a D1 college football caliber athlete. They are recruited into this league for another chance to get a D1 offer. The league, although not a division one league, plays at that same talent level.

When these guys had the chance to play at the top and lost it, many would assume they would fall back into bad behavior or give up. However, they were presented with this opportunity at a chance to get back into the big leagues. So, they’ve swallowed their pride and took the risk.

There is so much people can learn from this documentary. These players show resilience and self-forgiveness. They show you how to forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes in order to make yourself better. They show you how to take any opportunity presented to you in order to fulfill your dreams, otherwise, you are going to miss out.

The coaches, advisors, teachers, family, and fans at EMCC teach you, too. They are the example to anyone down on their luck that there are people in this world who will be there to help you. The players come from tough pasts and have “fallen from glory,” and they still believe that those boys can become better football players and even better men.

They dedicate their careers and lives to making the lives of these boys as great as they can be. They do whatever it takes to motivate them to tap into their full potential. They show us that no matter what we do, what we face, or the mistakes we made, there will always be someone there encouraging us to reclaim our glory.

This documentary, for me, was eye opening. Many of these guys faced suspensions or dismissals from teams. In a time when they could have given up, they were offered a second chance and they took it. By taking this second chance, they gave themselves an opportunity to come back better and stronger. They gave themselves another opportunity to prove who they are and what they are capable of.

What this documentary can show you is that there is such thing as a second chance if you embrace it. When this kind of opportunity is presented to you, you have to grab it. Appreciate what is in front of you and make the best of it. Second chances do not come around often, so they must be capitalized on.