It was the first day of fall semester when life changed for Greg Thompson, a freshman physics major from Omaha. He sat in his astronomy class, getting ready to learn when he heard the professor call roll.

He anxiously waited for the professor to call out his name, but was completely caught off guard when junior defensive back Charles Jackson’s name was called.

“I can’t believe I’m in a class with a Husker football player!” Thompson said. For the eager freshman, this was a dream come true.

When class ended, Thompson tweeted out the news and texted his high school friends. He wasn’t sneaky enough with his messages as Jackson noticed what was going on.

“I have classes with people like that a few times a semester,” Jackson said. “It’s really not that big of a deal. Just come up and talk to me; I’m not a supernatural being or something.”

Thompson had made attempts to talk with his peer, but had not gotten past a casual “hey” until the two were put into the same group for a project, which required them to exchange contact information.

The classmates met outside of class to work together on their project where Thompson greeted passers-by that he’s hanging out with a member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

“I don’t have a problem with Greg being star-struck, but if he’s going to take pictures of me, I’d very much appreciate it if he could at least turn off the flash to make it less obvious,” Jackson said.

During their work time, Jackson was not too distracted by his group member as he kept focus on their schoolwork.

“I’m a student-athlete,” Jackson said. “Since it’s the offseason, there’s an extra emphasis on the ‘student’ part.”

Thompson was sure the two would continue to hang out after the completion of their project.

“I feel like me and Charles can be pretty good friends,” Thompson said. “I hope this means that I can meet Jordan Westerkamp or even Coach Riley.”