Micah Rucker isn’t like most college football players.

The 6-foot-6, 221-pound senior is one of the top wide receivers – not only in the Ohio Valley Conference, but also in the Football Championship Subdivision.

He is set to graduate in December with a degree in communication studies. After that, he is set on hiring an agent to begin his possible journey to the NFL.

Rucker has the hands, the size and the play-making ability to hear his name called in April’s draft.

Those skills set him apart from most college football players.

But Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni is right when he says Rucker’s legacy at Eastern is already set – and he’s not just referring to the impressive statistics Rucker’s accomplished on the field.

Rucker has shown he has priorities outside football by starting Respect for Youth. RFY is a student organization created this fall to warn students about the consequences of irresponsible drinking, among other issues.

It’s been less than a year since Rucker received the news that a drunken driver killed his girlfriend of nearly two-and-a-half years, Rebecca Fissehastion Yacob.

But you wouldn’t know it by talking to him about it. He smiles at the memory of her.

He reflects on their time together. He tells stories of how they first met with enthusiasm in his voice and a slight smile breaking across his face.

He even smiles when thinking about the biggest pet peeve he had with Yacob.

“She used to bite her fingernails all the time,” he said. “Whenever she was nervous, she’d bite her fingernails. Every time she’d do it, I’d grab and slap her hand and tell her not to do it. And it would kind of work here and there, but when she got nervous, she’d always bite them. I used to hate that.”

To hear him speak about his loss and the adversity he’s faced in the past year, he’s not a football player anymore.

He’s a human dealing with issues no one should ever have to deal with when 22 years old.

He’s not running down the field at O’Brien Stadium, or any other OVC stadium, hauling in touchdown passes and jumping over defenders making, improbable catches.

He’s trying to fight the inner demons that are going on in his soul and putting them to a useful cause.

Yacob’s influence was a major reason why Rucker decided to transfer to Eastern from Minnesota. Without her support, Rucker would probably never have come to Charleston.

Yacob didn’t understand football until she met Rucker. Rucker’s football statistics here at Eastern would have certainly made her proud.

But he might be making his late girlfriend prouder by starting RFY in her honor.

It’s unknown how many people’s lives Rucker might save by creating this organization. It might only save one person’s life – or it could affect thousands.

Forget all the touchdown receptions, receiving yards and All-American honors Rucker has accumulated.

If Rucker is able to prevent one person from getting behind a wheel after drinking, then he has done his job.

And his guardian angel in Yacob will be watching him the entire way.