You’ll be hard pressed to find another college football player in America that’s been through more hardships than Clint Trickett.

Trickett has battled celiac disease, which makes it difficult to add weight and muscle. During his time at Florida State, he learned how to adapt around the disease.

“I’m not lifting with D-Hop (kicker Dustin Hopkins) or any of the specialists anymore,” Trickett said with a smile. “I’m lifting with some of the fullbacks and linebackers now.”

The senior started his collegiate career at Florida State, where his father, Rick Trickett is the offensive line coach. Clint was unable to see the field in Tallahasse because of a guy named Jameis Winston. Despite being from Tallahassee and playing under his father, it was time for Clint to make the best decision for his collegiate career.

Clint decided to transfer to West Virginia, a place he lived at for seven years, while his father coached under Rich Rodriguez before bolting for Florida State.

The move was a smart one, considering he would have the opportunity to play right away since he graduated and neither Paul Millard nor Ford Childress emerged in the spring of 2013.

While it made perfect sense, his mother, Tara Trickett, was heartbroken.

“I was crushed,” she said. “I had the best of both worlds – my husband is coaching at FSU and my son is playing there. But he truly appreciates the chance to play at WVU.”

The transition didn’t go smoothly at first, however.

Trickett was having a difficult time learning Dana Holgorsen’s up-tempo offense, which is why he sat behind Paul Millard and Ford Childress for the first four games of the 2013 campaign. After the Mountaineers stumbled to a 2-2 start, Trickett finally got the nod.

The offense improved under Trickett, but it was still a far cry compared to what West Virginia fans were used to. This year has been a totally different story, however.

West Virginia sits at 6-3, with wins over Towson, Maryland, Kansas, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma State. Trickett’s ability to run the offense has been a major part of the Mountaineers turnaround.

Their win against Baylor was one of the biggest victories in the programs recent memory. Baylor was ranked No. 10 at the time, but that didn’t phase West Virginia as they won 41-27. Trickett threw for 322 yards and 3 touchdowns, but that didn’t matter after he received some bad news afterwards.

His mother told him that his dad suffered a heart attack.

“That first time after you hear your dad had a heart attack … it’s an emotional event,” Trickett said.

Clint was more relaxed after hearing his dad’s voice.

“You talk to him and he’s perfectly fine, so once I talked to him things calmed down and everything was good,” Trickett said. “He was back to his normal self.”

Rick Trickett missed the Notre Dame game, but he returned to practice that upcoming Tuesday.

Nonetheless, Clint’s progression from last year to this year has been acknowledged by head coaches within the Big 12 conference.

“Clint Trickett is the biggest difference,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “He’s playing really well. Their ability to make plays – Trickett’s done that.”

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has also gushed over Trickett’s play.

“They have a quarterback who has matured and is playing with confidence,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “He’s considerably better than what he was eight or 10 games ago in my opinion.”

After nine games, Trickett has thrown for 2,925 yards to go along with 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Although Clint Trickett won’t be a high selection in next spring’s NFL Draft, his perseverance embodies everything that is right with college football.