John Urschel is a three-year veteran in the NFL and an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens.

That’s what you know.

What you probably didn’t know is that the 6-foot-3, 315-pound Urschel is doing more than hitting defensive lineman on Sundays. He’s hitting the books in pursuit of a doctorate in applied mathematics. And he’s working on the degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Because of this unique goal, Urschel was featured on the popular HBO series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. Here’s the coverage on the Ravens lineman, as Penn State Football tweeted out the clip on Monday evening:

 

As you can tell from the video, it’s hard enough to pronounce some of the stuff Urschel is studying at MIT, let alone understand it.

So why is he pushing himself to get his doctorate? He had this response:

To understand, to learn to push forward. It’s me versus this unknown.

And when he solves a complicated math problem, he says there’s nothing like it:

Best feeling in the world. Best feeling in the world.

That must be a really good feeling considering how important winning is at the NFL level.

Urschel graduated from Penn State with an undergraduate degree in mathematics in 2012. A year later, he earned his master’s degree. And on the field, the lineman was a two-time All-B1G selection and earned Academic All-American honors every year in State College.

He was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Regardless of how long Urschel’s professional career lasts, he’s not going to have much trouble moving on to the next chapter of his life when football is over.