When 12 Sports first saw Joey Ciccio's Twitter profile page, the first thing we noticed was a tribute to his father who passed away last year as he made his announcement that he'd play football at Arkansas-Monticello next fall.
I really wish my dad was around to see this, but I’m officially COMMITTED to the University of Arkansas Monticello #WeevilNation ‼️ R.I.P ❤️ pic.twitter.com/B0CZi694ua
For years, Ciccio has been an independent teen, paying his own bills, working after school every day, and living on multiple couches with friends and family members.
Coach Jeff Mathews will tell you, Ciccio has never felt sorry for himself and will not let anyone else in his life express that kind of attitude with him.
Over his years playing football for the Pirates, he's completely changed his path, whether it be his attitude toward adults, overcoming a knee injury, or avoiding the critics telling him he'll never get to play football at the collegiate level.
National Signing Day 2018 means much more to this young man from Vidor, Texas. It's an opportunity for him to chase his dream of not only playing the sport he loves, but becoming a pharmacist as well.
Most importantly, he'll get to leave behind his every day mess and return with the experience, the tools to build a new life, one that's more steady.