DIES? HERE'S ABC'S MICHAEL STRAHAN. >> THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ARE BRIGHT IN FOOTBALL CITY, USA -- >> IT'S NOTHING BETTER THAN FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. THE BEST FEELING. >> Reporter: FRIDAY NIGHT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES ARE AN AMERICAN TRADITION. BUT ONLY ONE TOWN CALLS ITSELF FOOTBALL CITY, USA. ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA. WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT 75,000 PEOPLE, IT'S SAID IT'S TURNED OUT MORE NFL PLAYERS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE U.S. TONIGHT'S HIGH SCHOOL STARS COULD BECOME TOMORROW'S NEXT PRO ATHLETES. >> AND THAT BALL OF MUSCLE THAT WE CALL CALEB SIMMS IS UNSTOPPABLE. >> I MAKE A GREAT PLAY, I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE IT. >> IT'S SO HARD TO BRING HIM DOWN BECAUSE HE'S SO SOLID. >> WHEN I'M MAKING THAT PLAY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, I'M JUST LETTING MY BODY DO WHAT IT DO, LETTING GOD LEAD ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. >> BARKSDALE, HE'S LOOSE! BARKSDALE GETS PAST, HE'S GOING TO SCORE! >> I'VE BEEN PLAYING SINCE I WAS LITTLE. I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO SOMEWHERE LIKE COLLEGE OR TO THE LEAGUE. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A BIG GOAL OF MINE. >> Reporter: FROM JUST A HANDFUL OF HIGH SCHOOLS HERE HAVE COME OVER TWO DOZEN NFL PLAYERS. EIGHT FROM ROCK HILL HIGH, SEVEN FROM NORTHWESTERN, SEVEN FROM SOUTH POINT. THE ODDS OF GOING PRO ARE INCREDIBLY LOW. ABOUT 7% OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS GO ON TO PLAY IN COLLEGE. AND THEN ONLY 1.5% COLLEGE PLAYERS MAKE IT TO THE NFL. BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP KIDS IN ROCK HILL FROM TRYING. >> I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT FOOTBALL. FOOTBALL IS ME. THAT'S MY MAIN PERSONALITY. THAT'S WHERE EVERYBODY KNOW ME FROM, FOOTBALL. >> HE WAS COVERED ON THAT PLAY BY DURANT WHO THEY CALL "FAT JAY." HE'S STARTING AS A NINTH GRADER AND HAD PRETTY GOOD COVERAGE ON THAT PLAY. >> YOU DON'T SEE MANY NINTH GRADERS STARTING AT FOOTBALL CITY, USA, BUT HE IS ONE OF THEM. >> FOOTBALL IS VERY IMPORTANT IN MY LIFE. BECAUSE FAMILY BOND. IT'S STRINGENT BECAUSE OF FOOTBALL. WE LOVE THE GAME. IT BRINGS US CLOSER IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE, YEAH. >> Reporter: CURRAN IS ONLY A FRESHMAN BUT HE'S STARTING VARSITY ON ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS IN ROCK HILL. COACHING HIM FROM THE SIDELINES IS HIS DAD, JAY CURRAN. HE ALSO PLAYED FOOTBALL GROWING UP IN ROCK HILL. SOME OF THE GUYS JAY PLAYED WITH IN HIGH SCHOOL WENT ON TO THE NFL. >> DEREK ROLLS DRAFTED BY THE COWBOYS, THIRD ROUND. THAT'S ME, 18. SOPHOMORE. YOUNGER GUY TO ALL OF THEM. BEN WATSON'S UP HERE, NUMBER 83. DRAFTED IN THE FIRST ROUND BY MY FAVORITE TEAM, THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. SO THAT'S COOL. A LOT OF MEMORIES IN THIS ROOM, MAN. MAKE SOME MORE OF THEM. ONE OF THOSE STANDOUT PLAYERS.- TOP-RANKED NOT ONLY IN SOUTH CAROLINA BUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. >> I HAVE SIX DIVISION-I OFFERS TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL. >> HOW OLD ARE YOU? >> 14 YEARS OF AGE. >> Reporter: HE STARTED PLAYING FOOTBALL AT 4 YEARS OLD. >> I WANT TO BE IN THE NFL, THAT'S PLAN "A." PLAN "B" IS NOT TO MESS UP PLAN "B." NAH, PLAN "B" IS TO FINISH COLLEGE. >> JAY, WHEN DID YOU KNOW HE WAS GOOD? >> BY THE TIME HE WAS 6, HE HAD HIS FIRST EIGHT-TOUCHDOWN SEASON. BY THE TIME HE WAS 9, HE HAD 30 TOUCHDOWNS. >> IN ONE SEASON? >> IN THREE GAMES HE HAD FIVE TOUCHDOWNS. ONE GAME HE HAD FIVE TOUCHDOWNS IN THE FIRST QUARTER. WE ALWAYS PREPARED FOR HIM TO GET THIS MUCH ATTENTION. I DID. >> PEOPLE HERE HAVE A MOTTO. NFL OR BUST. >> IT'S KIND OF THE TRUTH. NFL OR BUST. IT'S LIKE, WELL, NFL OR STREETS. YOU SEE ALL THESE GUYS GOING NUMBER ONE. AND IT'S LIKE, IT'S A DREAM THAT SEEMS LIKE REALITY. BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING SO MUCH. BUT IN REALITY, IT'S NOT. IT'S LIKE A FOOL'S GOLD, A LITTLE BIT. >> Reporter: GIBRIL WAS ONE OF THOSE PHENOM PLAYERS EVERYONE SAID WOULD MAKE TO IT THE NFL, BUT HE DIDN'T. HOW DID THAT FEEL TO COME BACK HERE AFTER NOT HITTING THE ULTIMATE DREAM OF MAKING THE NFL? >> OH, SHOOT. IT WERE HARD. I MEAN, IT WAS DEPRESSING. I FELT SHAME. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I FELT LIKE A FAILURE. AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS REALLY NEXT. SO I KIND OF WENT TO A DARK AREA. >> Reporter: HE EVENTUALLY TURNED PAIN INTO PURPOSE. HE'S NOW A YOUTH FOOTBALL COACH, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUNG ATHLETES KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME AND HAVE THE RESILIENCE TO BE OKAY WHEN IT ENDS. >> BEST BELIEVE WE GO TO STEP IN THAT GYM, COUNTER LIFE GOING TO BE CHANGED TOO, RIGHT? THIS CAMP ABOUT LOVE, ALL RIGHT? >> WHAT YOU DO TODAY IS GOING TO AFFECT YOU TOMORROW. >> Reporter: HE BRINGS IN MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES AND FORMER PLAYERS TO HELP KIDS THINK BEYOND THE GAME. >> WHO WANT TO GO TO THE NFL? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THIS NEXT SPEAKER, HE'S FROM MY HOMETOWN. HE GOT A CRAZY TESTIMONY. SO I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE RON BUYERS. MY COMMUNITY, FOOTBALL CITY USA, HAD ME FEELING LIKE I HAD TO MAKE IT TO THE LEAGUE TO HAVE WORTH AND HAVE VALUE. WHEN THE JERSEY WAS RIPPED AWAY FROM ME, I FELT LIKE NOTHING. NOTHING. I FELT THIS BIG. BECAUSE AS A KID I WAS PARENTED IN THE COMMUNITY, LOVE ME BASED ON MY PERFORMANCE. REPEAT AFTER ME. SAY, MY IDENTITY -- >> MY IDENTITY -- >> IS GREATER -- >> IS GREATER -- >> THAN MY ABILITY. >> THAN MY ABILITY. >> PEOPLE REALIZE FOOTBALL IS 90% MENTAL, 10% PHYSICAL. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THE MENTAL HEALTH PIECE IS TO THE FOOTBALL PIECE. YOUR MIND IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN HAVE. SO I WANT TO TELL THESE KIDS, LISTEN, IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD. >> Reporter: FOR SOME, THE BIG DREAM PAYS OFF IN BIG CONTRACTS AND A SUCCESSFUL CAREER. BUT WHAT GLITTERS ISN'T ALWAYS GOLD. FOR ONE OF ROCK HILL'S MOST PROMISING SONS, THAT DREAM MAY HAVE GIVEN RISE TO A DISTURBING DISEASE IN A DAY THAT WOULD CHANGE THIS TOWN FOREVER. >> TONIGHT, THERE WAS ANOTHER AWFUL SHOOTING, THIS ONE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. A DOCTOR, HIS WIFE, TWO OF THEIR YOUNG GRANDCHILDREN AMONG THE FIVE KILLED IN ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA. TONIGHT AUTHORITIES BELIEVE IT WAS A FORMER NFL PLAYER WHO KILLED THEM BEFORE KILLING HIMSELF. >> OUR THANKS TO MICHAEL FOR THAT. AS YOU SAW IN THE END, THAT WAS A REFERENCE TO FORMER NFL PLAYER PHILIP ADAMS, ONE OF ROCK HILL'S MOST PROMISING SONS WHO TRAGICALLY KILLED SIX PEOPLE BEFORE TAKING HIS OWN LIFE. FOR A DEEP DIVE HOW HIS CASE CHANGED SOME IN HIS HOMETOWN, CHECK OUT