Koby Drake is building a plane.

More specifically, it's an RC airplane — about 5 feet wide and weighing just five or six pounds of mostly foam. It's for his senior design project at the University of Memphis, where he and the rest of his group have to build a plane that can complete a few missions in the air covering about a mile and take off in less than 20 feet.

In football terms, that's about 7 yards. That's important because when Drake isn't working on complicated aerodynamic computations, he's catching passes and returning punts for the Tigers. And he's having a career year, with 12 catches for 142 yards and 94 punt return yards this season.

"You don't have your weekends to study like every other student, because you're playing football on the weekends," he said. "So it's like, now you've got to find time to study. And so I spend hours, countless hours at the library. I'm talking eight hours at a time, all afternoons, anytime I get a chance. On Mondays, that's our off day, I've got to spend a lot time at the library, studying for exams."

He'll have a little bit less time for that this week because Memphis (4-1, 1-0 AAC) is preparing for a Friday game, its biggest of the season, against Tulane (6 p.m., ESPN). And Drake, who has seen his role grow since he joined the program in 2019, figures to play a key role in helping Memphis engineer a win.

'He's always been a baller'

Drake played at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas, but didn't play wide receiver until his senior season. He was a safety and outside linebacker, but really popped when he switched positions. That led to some Division II and FCS interest, but nothing at the highest level of college football.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver heard from Memphis, then under coach Mike Norvell, that he'd have a shot to join as a walk-on. He had to try out, and didn't learn he had a spot on the team until a few weeks into the 2019 season.

At that point, he didn't know what he wanted to study.

"I knew I was really good at math, I knew I was really good at science and I knew business classes were going to bore the hell out of me," he said. "And I need a challenge. If I'm not challenged, I'm not going to want to go to class. I'm not going to want to do any other work. I'd rather be challenged and do something interesting."

And so began his dual-threat career as a football player and mechanical engineering major. He would run from early-morning classes to make football practices just in time, knowing he had to work harder than everyone else to stand out as a walk-on.

More: Memphis football vs Tulane: Scouting report, score prediction vs Michael Pratt, AAC champion

But there was a formula — Memphis walk-on receivers have had a pretty good run in the past few years. First there was Anthony Miller, who went from walk-on to 2018 second-round NFL draft pick by the Chicago Bears (he is currently with the Indianapolis Colts).

Then there was Memphis native and 2018 walk-on Calvin Austin III, who Drake looked up to.

Austin — picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2022 draft — remembers watching Drake in the Sunday scrimmages that were reserved for players who didn't get much action on Saturdays. He got to know Drake and realized he had what it took to be the next great Memphis walk-on receiver.

"He's always been a baller, you know what I mean?" Austin said. "Like some guys is just a baller. They may not be the fastest, quickest, strongest, whatever, but some guys is just a baller. And that's what he was."

Koby Drake's expanded role and breakout season

Drake's role grew as he improved through his years in the program. Before the 2022 season, he got a text from coach Ryan Silverfield asking him to come to the coach's office. It was the news every walk-on waits for and dreams of — he'd been placed on scholarship.

But this season has been his breakout. He's a consistent threat on punt returns and is a go-to receiver for quarterback Seth Henigan on third downs, no doubt stemming from the three years spent together working on chemistry and timing. That was apparent in the Tigers' win Sept. 30 over Boise State, when Henigan lofted a ball from near his own end zone on a 25-yard corner route that Drake caught with just a few inches of space left in bounds to extend a critical fourth-quarter drive.

So what is it about Drake's skill set that makes him stand out? It doesn't take long for offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey to answer.

"He's always open."

Drake is working to improve and get more opportunities in the offense. His plane project isn't due until March, so he can focus on football, at least for the time being. He doesn't know exactly what he wants to do with the engineering degree — he also has sociology and entrepreneurship minors — but isn't worried about it. He's going to catch passes for as long as he can.

Most walk-ons never play major roles on high-level teams, but he's already there.

"There are some guys that come in here and they have to prove people right," he said. "As a walk-on, you have to prove people wrong."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football receiver Koby Drake flies in class, on the field