FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots famously had to reconstruct space in the south end zone at Gillette Stadium this offseason to make room for the team’s fifth Super Bowl banner. Now, thanks to some crane work, there’s room for each and then some.

Offensive lineman Ted Karras was a rookie last season, so he’s got only one Super Bowl ring. But Karras has his own drive for five going — five college degrees. And he knows exactly where he’ll put them.

“I’m just going to have a rainbow above my desk of diplomas,’’ Karras said.

Karras, a backup drafted in the sixth round in 2016, graduated early from Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in communication. He completed it in December 2014 but still had eligibility for football, so he enrolled in the recreation, sport, and tourism master’s program.

That made two by the time the NFL called. During his rookie season, though, Karras learned that if he wanted to keep studying and go back to school, the NFL Players Association had programs that would help him do so.

“A little-known perk that no one seems to take advantage of is when you get an accredited season in this league you get $20,000 worth of school a year,’’ Karras said, sounding a bit incredulous that others don’t do the same.

“It just seems to be that everyone keeps wanting to pay for my school, so I’m not going to turn it down.’’

Karras is working on degree No. 3. He enlisted fellow Patriots offensive lineman and 2016 draft classmate Joe Thuney to join him, and the two are pursuing MBAs through Indiana University. The NFLPA has a partnership with IU’s Kelley School of Business that’s designed to make it easy for players to study around their schedules.

Karras and Thuney started the program two weeks after the Super Bowl and took classes online, Skyping with professors, up until training camp. They’re about a third of the way done. They share a guidance counselor, but they said they don’t share notes with each other and they study separately.

“I take it pretty seriously,’’ Karras said. “In the offseason I get up there in my room, read my business books.’’

The Patriots’ resident brainiac takes some good-natured teasing from his linemates, some of whom have dubbed him “the most educated man in the 2016 draft.’’

Fellow lineman Cole Croston, who occupies the locker to the left of Karras, deadpans that there’s no living with Karras now, as he’s “always condescending’’ about his superior intellect.

Thuney, a starting left guard the Patriots drafted in the second round in 2016, might hang ’em up (his note-taking pens, that is) after the MBA. Thuney studied accounting and international studies at North Carolina State, and also had a Spanish minor he occasionally shows off in the locker room.

Karras will keep going. Next up, he wants to study anthropology.

“I like the study of human behavior,’’ he said. “I think it’s interesting. I like the MBA, it’s just a little dry sometimes with the math stuff.’’

Though it’s important to note, Karras said, that he did well in accounting, he prefers learning about the decision-making side of running a business. His favorite assignments were company profiles, where Karras chose to look at the business models of luxury car companies Audi and BMW.

“I learned a lot of aspects of analyzing a business that you wouldn’t even think of. There’s so much, it’s so in-depth,’’ Karras said.

After anthropology, he’s thinking literature. That would be five. At that point, why not blitz for six? Karras says he’s thinking five would be enough, but if it gets to that point he might change his mind.

“I’m not going to stop until they kick me out of the league and then hopefully by then I can get another one just based on how many years I’ve accrued,’’ he said.

As long as Karras accrues three NFL seasons, he’ll also be entitled to $60,000 in tuition money after his football career is finished.

Karras isn’t sure what he’ll do with all the degrees, he’ll figure that out later. Right now, he just wants to learn. Besides, Karras had enough business savvy before starting the MBA program to know that when something is free, you take it.

“I’m going to keep going,’’ he said. “Since I’ve been playing football people have been paying for my school.’’

Nora Princiotti can be reached at nora.princiotti@globe.com.