At some point, most adults will say that a level of mathematics sent them screaming into the night. It might be algebra, it might be trigonometry, or (in my case) it might be calculus. Once you get past the point where math becomes less useful in what we might call everyday life, it's easy to move on to other subjects.

John Urschel still hasn't reached that point. As a result, he probably qualifies as one of the most interesting and unusual personalities to come down the road in sports in some time.

That's what makes his book, "Mind and Matter" so different. He can talk about differential equations and run blocking with a very advanced level of knowledge. That's a combination that is tough on stereotypes, particularly when the fact that Urschel is African-American is added to the mix. So the phrase "good for him" applies on so many levels. Rulebreakers are always worth knowing.

Urschel spent some of his formative years, including high school, in the Buffalo area. He was always large for his size among fellow students, although perhaps a little undersized by the standards of future professional football linemen. That made him a natural to at least give football a chance, so he took it up and eventually became a prospect for colleges.

Along the way, Urschel discovered that he loved the "puzzles" that high mathematics could offer him. In fact, while barely into high school, he audited a course at the University at Buffalo in math and more than held his own. The young man saw, and sees, no contradiction between working on math and practicing and playing football. In fact, one was something of a break from the other. The book ping-pongs between his experiences in those disciplines. That can turn into something of a cliche, but the authors - he and Louisa Thomas are married - make it work quite nicely here.

It sounds a little like the proverbial "shaggy dog" story, but Urschel received one of the last available scholarships at Penn State for football. He wasn't considered a top prospect, but eventually worked his way into the starting lineup. In the meantime, Urschel also became a star in the classroom, maintaining a 4.0 GPA while working his way up the mathematics ladder in rapid succession. This is not an easy combination. Most football players have to take a reduced workload because of the time demands on their sport, and need tutors to get through it. Not only did Urschel do that and then some, but he seemed to be rather well accepted by the rest of the team. Football usually is not the place for non-conformists, but Urschel apparently pulled it off.

One of the most interesting parts of the story is that the Nittany Lion players was around when the scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky went public. The NCAA eventually came down heavily on the Penn State program. Urschel didn't understand why he and his teammates were penalized for actions that took place before he arrived on campus, but had to put up with as the university saw a new coaching staff put in place and several teammates transfer to other schools.

Urschel was good enough to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, and spent three years there. He even started 13 games. This took place while he continued to pursue high education in mathematics along the way - again, no easy task. But Urschel knew that eventually he'd have to choose one or the other - advanced mathematics is a young man's game too - and a concussion might have pushed that timetable up a bit. He became a full-time mathematician in 2017. He's currently a doctoral candidate in MIT.

One warning is necessary when talking to potential readers of this book: There is some complicated mathematics involved at times. Urschel goes out of his way not to get bogged down in it as he explains it from a distance, and handles it as well as it can be done. But this is a man who wrote an article called "On the Characterization and Uniqueness of Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations." Speaking as a reader who immediately became nervous when seeing the word "polynomial" in the text, this may drive you away for small sections of the book.

"Mind and Matter" feels like something of a swan song for Urschel. He's saying farewell to his "two-sided" days when football and math competed for attention. The only publishing he'll be doing down the road is when he does something interesting in mathematics - which no doubt will be often. Therefore, Urschel's look behind the door of what he was thinking along the way until he reached this point a couple of years ago is well explained and always interesting.

I'm not sure who might follow in Urschel's footsteps some day. But there's no doubt he's a heck of a role model for any who cares to look in an unconventional place for one.

If I were to tell you that someone was a mathematician, you’d have some pretty specific ideas about who that person was. If were to tell you that someone was a football player, you’d have some pretty specific ideas about who that person was as well. And you probably wouldn’t think that there would be a lot of overlap in that particular Venn diagram.

But then you encounter someone like John Urschel and you’re forced to reconsider your preconceived notions … because he has achieved great heights in both arenas.

His new book “Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football” explores the seeming disparity between Urschel’s passions. Along with his co-author (and partner) Louisa Thomas, Urschel walks readers along the parallel paths through which he pursued two dreams that were seemingly at odds. Few athletes ever approach the pinnacle of their sport. Few academics ever approach the pinnacle of their field. John Urschel – still a month away from his 28th birthday as of this writing – has done both.

John Urschel’s tremendous gifts were apparent from a young age. While his intellectual precocity began with a love of puzzles, it wasn’t long before his surgeon father was steering him toward the challenges of advanced mathematics. At just 13, he was auditing a college-level calculus course and more than holding his own. It seemed as though his would be a life of the mind.

But football was also part of the picture. It was there that John discovered the camaraderie of team sports, as well as the discipline that time on the gridiron could instill. An imposing physical presence, Urschel worked his way into becoming a top-tier player at his Buffalo high school, an offensive lineman who flashed the potential to play at the next level.

Urschel would find a home for his paired passions at Penn State. He was a scholarship player on the football team, but he was far from the lip-service “student-athlete” one often finds at the Division I level. Instead, he was constantly challenging himself in the classroom as well as on the gridiron, taking advantage of a redshirt year and some supportive mentors to wind up with not just a bachelor’s, but a master’s degree in mathematics even as he worked his way up to becoming an All-Big 10 selection as an offensive guard.

But it didn’t stop there.

A solid performance at the NFL Combine led to Urschel’s being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. He signed with Baltimore and made the team, but also chose to continue his mathematical studies, landing in a PhD program at MIT.

And so, just like he’d been doing since high school, he simply … did both. The people in either orbit tended to find Urschel’s “other” interest a bit odd, but his seeming eccentricities were never held against him – his professors and collaborators supported his playing career, while his coaches and teammates supported his academic pursuits.

Urschel retired from the NFL after three seasons, choosing to finally devote himself fully to his dream of becoming a mathematician.

“Mind and Matter” is a fascinating read. We don’t often come across Renaissance men like this anymore, people who can reach the highest levels in fields both physical and intellectual. NFL lineman, math PhD candidate – either of those achievements would put someone in rarefied air. But to manage both? It’s almost inconceivable.

And yet, even with all that he has accomplished, there’s a real sense of humility to John Urschel. One gets the impression that he takes none of this for granted and has worked tremendously hard at every stop along the way. His is a journey that is unique, a powerful paean to possibility.

A memoir such as this could easily come off as self-congratulatory, but there’s a healthy sense of perspective here. And Urschel’s voice feels genuine and authentic – one assumes that much of that is thanks to his co-author; Thomas brings to the table not only her own considerable writerly gifts, but also a depth of understanding regarding Urschel’s history and character.

The dual narrative threads make for an engaging storytelling device. By separating the two paths – math and football – we’re given a compelling look at their similarities as well as their differences. However, there’s also enough overlap to get a sense of one passion’s influence on the other, allowing us a wonderful sense of how they connect.

(Oh, and rest assured – Urschel goes DEEP on the math. He delves into the specifics, talking about particular areas of interest and dishing out a little math history to boot. It’s unapologetic in its wonkiness and delightfully dense – and that’s with Urschel undoubtedly dialing it back for the benefit of those of us who aren’t pursuing our PhDs at MIT.)

“Mind and Matter” is the tale of one man’s willingness to do whatever it took to maintain his paired passions – a remarkable feat that combined immense intellect, incredible strength and endless reserves of determination and raw willpower. Sports books like this one don’t come along every day. Then again, individuals like John Urschel don’t come along every day either. Read this book and you’ll understand just how rare they are.