NASHVILLE - It's not easy being a college student, even under the best of circumstances.

Being a student-athlete, particularly in a sport as time-intensive as football, makes it an even tougher endeavor.

Then throw in a budding marriage, and it would be enough to make most young adults lose their minds.

Or maybe not - because former Central High School star Cassen Jackson-Garrison seems to be one of the calmest people anyone could ever meet.

The Vanderbilt junior tailback and the former Courtney Spradlen were wed July 1 after dating for a couple of years.

"Last year, I didn't think I'd be married now," the 21-year-old Jackson-Garrison said recently. "But she was the right one for me. I knew that God blessed me with a good girl; her family's absolutely great, so I went ahead and did it before she could get away.

"It's the next step toward maturity that people have to take."

At an age where so many people are just growing up and learning their identity, Jackson-Garrison's thinking and acting for two.

"Some people can handle it, some people can't," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said of marrying at such a relatively young age. "But that's in any situation, not just football. You go out in society and some people can handle certain situations, some people can't. Getting married helped me. I'm certainly not against the institution of marriage.

"Over the years, we've had married players. Most of them give me a little warning, tell me what's going to happen. There have been a few that showed up married. Cassen talked to us about it, and we were supportive."

So are the couple's parents.

"My parents come up every weekend and go to every football game, and his parents live in Hermitage," said Courtney, 20, who has interrupted her nursing school studies but is working in the field. "They help us out a lot."

The young couple is able to live comfortably, if not extravagantly, off of Courtney's wages in nursing, along with Cassen's housing allowance that he receives as a scholarship student-athlete and some help from their parents.

"We have to live a very structured schedule in order to be able to spend enough time with each other," Courtney said. "The way my work is, and his classes and practice, we really have to stay on a schedule. But we still have a life, hang out with our friends. It's really not any different."

Former Jefferson County running back Jeff Jennings, who shared a dormitory room with Jackson-Garrison the previous two years, said the nuptials were inevitable.

"They had been together for a little bit, so it's not a whole lot different other than him putting a ring on her finger," Jennings said. "They were together all the time; I guess they were both happy."

Jackson-Garrison's marital status hasn't affected his interaction with the team. He and his wife regularly entertain his teammates on Sundays during the season.

"Every Sunday, she cooks a big dinner for me and the few guys that come over," he said. "She's like a team mom. I haven't too much been away from the team.

"She's made an impact on my life. She was very unique to me; that's why I chose her. I'm totally happy with my decision. We're just a young married couple, having fun."