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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 33 f Mostert already was on campus before his freshman year when Hunt came up to get some registration stuff taken care of and some workouts in. They spent time one morning catching tennis balls from a machine, working on hand-eye coordination. They spent time to- gether later, too, hanging out, playing cards. But conversation kept coming back to one thing. "We told each other we were going to be roommates because we were offense, (and) we were the fastest guys on the field," Mo- stert said. "We both felt like we were. I mean we are." By the time training camp started, they were rooming together in Cary Quad. And quickly found more similarities. They're both Southern boys, Hunt from Georgia and Mostert from Florida. They're both unabashed momma's boys. Hunt even writes on his mouthpiece for games, "I love you mom." Soon, that evolved into having a second mom, when each mom embraced the new "son," complete with promptings to clean their dirty dorm room, congratulations on accomplishments via Twitter or supportive words during phone calls. They both "freaked out" during their first winter — Mostert had been in snow before because of relatives in Chicago but still wasn't accustomed to the daily grind of the cold — causing each to buy nearly matching black peacoats. They'd both be called the wrong name, Akeem referred to as Raheem and vice ver- sa. They didn't seem to mind, though, even calling themselves the "Eem Brothers" now. They both are fiercely competitive, mak- ing nearly everything into a contest, espe- cially about who's faster. They won't soon forget the back-and-forth 40-yard dash during offseason training. This is how they tell it: Hunt clocked a 4.32, to which Mostert said, "Hey, look, I'm about to pass you," and did, running a 4.31. Then Hunt ran a 4.30, and Mostert responded with a 4.29. "It was crazy," Hunt said, laughing. It kept going in the season, too, on kickoff returns. Hunt would lead in av- erage for a bit, but then Mostert would bust a big one. Back and forth. "At the end of the day, it's just mak- ing both of us better," Mostert said. The competition is, in part, how they learned there was a similar mindset. And, gradually, they started to reveal more about their personalities and their aspirations, as a trust grew. They started to take care of each oth- er. When Hunt had strep throat one of those early winters and didn't have Mom around to take care of him, he didn't handle it well. Sitting in his bed in the dorm, he was whining. Mostert, on the other side of the room engrossed in a video game, finally relented and went to pick up medicine, got Hunt some fruit to soothe his throat. He took on the pseudo mom role, really. It was a moment when Hunt knew this was a real friendship. "That just made me a better person as in knowing I can depend on another man figure," Hunt said. "That's why he made me better. I have trust problems — I'm re- ally independent — but I know I can count on Raheem, and it's the same thing I feel like (for him)." When Mostert's grandfather died two years ago, Hunt was in the room when Mo- stert got the call. Initially, Mostert stepped outside, not wanting Hunt to see him cry. But when he walked back in the dorm, it was clear Mostert was hurting and needed comfort. Hunt was there to provide it. "He lifted me up," Mostert said. "He told me, 'Hey, man, he lived a good life. He was