Sometimes where you come from leads you where you’re going.

"I can already feel myself starting to cry," Marcella Carson said, filled with emotion while looking through old photos of her son, Jordan Hogan, and recalling their long road together.

"Single mom, was on welfare, lived in the projects and just thinking about where he’s at now," she said.

The world will be watching when the San Fransisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday. And Jordan will be on the grandest stage, as an offensive assistant for the 49ers. 

"His goal was to be an NFL player, but God opened up another way for him," Carson said.

Hogan's journey took off at Newfane High School in Niagara County, where Eric Klumpp coached him in football and basketball.

"From the first time I met him, he told me that he was going to play college football," Klumpp said.

Even though he was initially small in stature, Jordan grew as a player and a person. 

"Here, you don’t get too many students like Jordan," Klumpp said. "He is incredibly internally driven and when he has a goal in mind, there is nothing that’s going to stop him."

Jordan made that goal a reality, becoming a standout wide receiver at SUNY Brockport.

But when his playing days were finished. football was still in his heart, and he began a coaching. Along the way there were stops at places like Buffalo State, Cornell and Colgate.

He even had summer NFL coaching fellowships with the Bills, Cardinals, Colts, Ravens and 49ers. But the coaching profession can be a difficult grind — often filled with long hours and little pay. 

"I wrote a letter to him, and I believe he still has it to this day just encouraging him and letting him know not to give up on his dream," his mother said. "Stay focused. Trust God."

Jordan never quit, determined to rise to the top. His wife Kayla — a college lacrosse coach herself — has seen that passion firsthand.

"Even back when we first started dating, he was like, ‘I’m going to make it the NFL,’ and I kind of laughed at it at the time," Kayla said. "But he’s been a go-getter ever since I met him so he definitely deserves everything that’s come his way."

After a training camp internship with the 49ers last summer, they asked him to come back for the full season, helping a talented group of wide receivers on their way to the Super Bowl. 

Kayla and their two young daughters will be there in Las Vegas to cheer him on.

"I’m just excited to be able to bring the girls to it and make those memories with them as well," Kayla said. "They might not remember it but we’ll remember it forever."

The chance of a lifetime — not only for Jordan but for those who’ve walked with him on the road to success.

"There’s such a buzz around school for him and his opportunity here," said Klump, who saw a future in coaching for Hogan even during his high school days. 

"I’m just so proud and just humbled from where we’ve come and what’s he’s done," his mother said.