From Underdog to Bulldog

Candler Cook knows firsthand that dreams can come true—but only if you're willing to fight for them. A lifelong Bulldogs fan, Candler decided at age seven that he wanted to play football for the University of Georgia. Despite being only a fourth-string linebacker on his high school squad, he remained laser-focused on his quest. Rejection followed rejection, but he refused to give up, even when others insisted that he'd never make the team. After years of intensive workouts and grueling self-reinvention, Candler Cook finally played his first football game for UGA—1,543 days after he walked into the coach's office and requested a tryout. A fascinating inside look at SEC football and a guidebook for anyone pursuing a seemingly unattainable goal, From Underdog to Bulldog is the remarkable true story of one young man's extraordinary efforts to make the impossible happen.