CARROLLTON, Ga. — College football fans gearing up for the Rose Bowl should pay special attention to the sidelines.
A top college football recruit from west Georgia will be there to cheer on his new team. Caleb Odom, a 4-star tight end recruit from Carrollton High School, has committed to Alabama and is expected to be a big difference-maker for the Crimson Tide.
But it's the difference he makes in the life of his family that matters most.
Caleb looks out for his little brother. He is going to make sure 3-year-old Kannon looks good. Caleb is 6 foot 5 and 215 pounds, but it's the way he makes Kannon look bigger than him that he prides himself most in.
"I am talking to him every day. I am hugging him and holding him," he said.
Kannon has changed how Caleb looks at everything.
"It pushes me, for my family, to be the best that I can. Each step, academically, as a person -- athletically. I have to be the best I can be," he said.
Kannon suffered a birth injury that left him profoundly disabled. But Caleb wants people to see Kannon for who he is.
"Just coming home and looking at him every day gives me another reason to keep going hard," Caleb explained.
Caleb wants to succeed so he can care for Kannon. Caleb has been getting looks from football coaches across the country since he was 14. One of the top recruits in 2023, Caleb, is committed to play for head coach Nick Saban and the prestigious Alabama football program.
In part because of how the coaches treat Kannon.
"As soon as they got the memo with Kannon and his injury, they were on it," he said.
Caleb said the coaches at Alabama value his little brother, just like Kannon values him.
"Sometimes Kannon won't give me an interaction at all, and then as soon as Caleb comes to the door, Kannon is so excited. Like he is right now, he's like, gimmie," said Caleb and Kannon's mom, Alden Parrish.
She watches her two sons together all the time.
But she said most people don't see how much Caleb has sacrificed to help care for their family.
"Has anyone stopped to give attention to like what Caleb has gone through?" she asked. "Because I don't think people realize -- his teachers, his coaches -- have sat down and took the time to understand his situation or what a day in his life looks like."
When people watch Caleb on the field, she wants them to think of who he is really playing for.
"I just want him to know that I am really proud of him," she said.
She wants Caleb to see himself through Kannon's eyes.
"I love him and I'll do anything for him," Caleb said.
Alden and Kannon are now moving to Alabama to be closer to Caleb. The coaches at Alabama were able to put her in touch with the children's hospital there, where Kannon will receive top-notch care.
And Caleb said he'll get to see his little brother every weekend, and he can't wait for his brother to see him in the end zones on Saturdays in Tuscaloosa.