NATCHEZ — Signing a football scholarship to a Southeastern Conference school is a dream come true for a small town guy like Devin Fosselman, but he saw his dream shatter under the weight of the pressure — literally.

Fosselman, a Wilkinson County High School standout, signed as a wide receiver at Mississippi State University in 2011, and he said he knew he was on the right path to success.

That path was deterred after a preseason weight training that went wrong.

Fosselman was doing squats with heavy weights when his freshman year went down the drain.

“I was squatting, then my whole right leg went numb and I couldn’t bend it or straighten it out, it was like it was stuck,” Fosselman said. “I had to gradually walk and then it would loosen up. I still haven’t gained 100 percent feeling in that leg.”

Fosselman went to the doctor to find out why he collapsed, and he was diagnosed with two ruptured disk in his back.

He was then put on leave and he transferred out. Determined to still be a part of a football roster, Fosselman spent the next year at Pearl River Community College after having surgery.

“It was very painful,” Fosselman said about his recovery. “The surgery itself was the worse I’ve been through. Rehab was a very long process. It took 14 months to get back 100 percent.”

Fosselman said he reason he chose to transfer to Pearl River was to continue his education and be able to utilize its football-specific therapy regimen.

But he admitted there were times he thought he would never be able to play football again.

“That thought haunted me a lot,” Fosselman said. “It was like, ‘Oh my God, it is taking so long (to recover), but I gradually saw improvement and I had to just stick with it and just let things come as they come.”

Once Fosselman was nursed back to full health, he transferred to Jackson State University in 2013 to continue his football career.

He played significant minutes for the Tigers, and helped them reach the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship against Southern University.

The Tigers fell to the Jaguars 34-27 in overtime.

Fosselman finished the 2013 season with nine catches for 99 yards and one touchdown.

Despite the loss, Fosselman said he was able to get back into game mode, but this time with a chip on his shoulder after losing in the SWAC championship.

As Fosselman trains over the summer, he said he is excited about having his first full collegiate season healthy, and he plans to take advantage of it.

“Every opportunity I get, I will be out here working and trying to get better,” he said. “Our No.1 goal is to get back to SWAC championship and win it this time.”