U.S. Army sergeant Daniel Rodriguez’s trip from the battlefield to college football is known to many who have followed his story.

Soon, millions more could become familiar with his incredible experience as TriStar Production has purchased the book and movie rights to his inspiration tale: “Rise: An Epic Story of a Soldier, His Dream, and a Promise Kept.”

Rodriquez’s dream became reality in 2012, when after a tour in the Middle East he joined Clemson’s football team. And though he’s now just another player on a college football roster, Rodriguez’s story is anything but ordinary.

After graduating from high school, Rodriguez joined the Army and spent two-and-a-half years on the frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In October 2009, Rodriquez endured a 12-hour battle alongside 53 other Americans as more than 350 members of the Taliban attacked American Combat Outpost Keating, injuring Rodriguez and killing eight of his fellow soldiers, including his best friend.

Rodriquez was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After coming home five months later, he suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and resorted to a lifestyle that so many returning soldiers fall into after fighting a war.

“I was an alcoholic,” Rodriguez told CBS Evening News interview with Jeff Glor in September 2012. “Obstacles were definitely in the way on a daily basis.”

Rodriquez’s way out was a vow he made to Kevin Thompson – the friend who died that day.

“I made a promise to my best friend that was killed that I was going to play football and just committed myself to eating right and working out and quit drinking,” Rodriquez said.

After publishing a video of himself working out on YouTube, the 5-foot-8-inch Rodriguez caught the attention of a number of college teams and decided that Clemson was the place for him.

“I really was just mesmerized because I had never really seen a video put together like that,” Clemson head coach DaboSwinney said of the 24-year-old who became a walk on for the Tigers.

With the chance to live his dream, Rodriguez continues to think about life in Afghanistan but in a way that allows him to move forward for the sake of his fellow fallen soldiers.

“I didn’t die that day on Oct. 3 because I was meant to do something more in my life,” Rodriguez said.  “And now I have my buddies in the grave pushing me to be the best that I can be. I think about it every day. What I went through, the friends I’ve lost, but where I’m at now in my life trumps everything in a positive way.”