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It’s easy to forget that they’re still student-athletes.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ offensive tackle Tristan Bounds is a shining example of the latter. The transfer from Michigan is about two weeks away from earning a degree from UM’s Ross School of Business — while also being enrolled in classes at the UA. And, oh yeah, he's been participating in spring football at the same time.

It’s unusual, although not unprecedented, for a transfer to be enrolled in two schools at once. It’s doable these days because so many schools now offer online classes.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. Bounds has been extraordinarily busy this semester. But he likes it that way.

“I like a good challenge,� Bounds said. “I'm trying to focus on the things that are mandatory that I need to do to get myself to where I want to be.�

In the short term, that’s professional football. Bounds will enhance his chances if he can lock down a starting spot with the Wildcats. The athletic 6-foot-8 lineman has been working with the first team at both tackle positions during spring camp, which concludes Saturday night with the “Spring Showcaseâ€� at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium.

In the long term, Bounds wants to follow his father’s path into real estate. Shawn Bounds has built a career in that world as an appraiser and house flipper.

Tristan wants to get into commercial development someday. But first things first: He has college classes to complete. And a promise to fulfill.

“When I committed to Michigan,� Bounds said, “I promised my dad that I was going to graduate.�

Bounds knew toward the end of last season that he was going to transfer. He had enjoyed his time at Michigan but sought a fresh start.

Bounds had one semester to go to get his business degree. The biggest challenge: “The Ross School is all in person.�

Bounds had to, in his words, “jump through a bunch of hoops at Michigan to get it done� — “it� being an online alternative that would enable him to graduate.

“They were able to create some programming for myself and a couple other students who had extenuating circumstances that needed to be elsewhere,� Bounds said. “I think they saw that people really want to finish that degree. It's extremely important.

“Obviously my situation was football. But there's people with other situations; maybe they have a family member (who’s) sick or something that would require them to go home for a long period of time. They don't want to deny them that degree that they've worked so hard for with two, three months left.�

Bounds had two courses to complete at Michigan — a “capstone� project, where he’s part of a group that consults for a company; and an independent study. He’s been able to participate in the former via Zoom and was preparing his final presentation when we spoke this week; the latter mainly consists of research and a paper.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was receptive to Bounds being dually enrolled and had a curricular option that made it more manageable. Undergraduate student-athletes must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours — four classes, in most cases — to maintain eligibility. The UA offers a seven-week course option that enabled Bounds to essentially split his schedule in half and take two courses at a time. He’s majoring in interdisciplinary studies here and taking classes in history and leadership.

What’s a typical day like for Bounds? When the Wildcats practiced on a Tuesday or Thursday, Bounds would wake up about 5:30 a.m., have breakfast and stretch before heading to the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility. Once there, he would get treatment, have a second breakfast and participate in practice from roughly 9:30 a.m. to noon. After practice, he’d get on a Zoom for one of his Michigan classes. Then he’d watch film with offensive line coach Josh Oglesby.

“I get done with that usually around 6-ish,â€� Bounds said. “Then I'll go home, knock out all my ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ homework. And then if I have anything else for my Michigan stuff that I need to do, I'll finish that up and try and get to bed pretty early.â€�

Bounds’ regimen requires discipline. He acquired it while attending two high-end boarding schools: Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut.

“I have a job,� Bounds, 23, said. “My job just happens to be school and football. And to do that to the best of my ability, I gotta get to bed early so I can get up early.�

“He's done amazing,� Shawn Bounds said. “He's matured. That's to be expected. You (get) into your 20s, and you start to realize what the future might entail. That'll sharpen your focus.

“When he has something he wants to accomplish, he's uber-focused on it, whether that was his recruitment or the schools that he locked into ... or even as a young kid, he wanted to go play at these private schools. He just worked hard to get there.�

Tristan is the oldest of three siblings. Sister Addie is a , and brother Jake is a freshman at Florida Atlantic. Mom Brenna Chirby is a sports psychologist. The family recently relocated from Bethesda, Maryland, to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Back in Bethesda, Shawn would enlist Tristan to help demo and refurbish houses. He would tear shingles off roofs, smash walls and pour concrete. Eventually, he learned how to do electrical and plumbing work. All those skills would come in handy when Bounds moved to Michigan.

Two years ago, Shawn and Tristan bought a house in Ann Arbor. It was a fixer-upper to say the least.

“This was during spring football,� Shawn Bounds said. “It's freezing cold. The house had burst pipes. It had no heat. It had flooded. And it was a hoarder house.

“He had gotten dumpsters delivered there. He’s going to practice, going to school, then going there at night and getting all the trash out and doing all the demo (to get) the house ready for us to come in and renovate.�

The project was completed in less than two months.

Tristan’s capacity to multitask knows no bounds.