Virginia linebacker Micah Kiser enjoyed a successful career by thinking one or two steps ahead on the field. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Kiser, who received the William V. Campbell Trophy on Tuesday in New York, does the same off the field.
Kiser is thinking ahead. Way ahead.
"My endgame is to eventually get back to athletic administration and hopefully be an athletic director," Kiser told Sporting News. "I feel like that is the position I can have the greatest impact on people like me and student-athletes coming up who don't really know what they want to do in life but they know they can play sports."
That would continue the tradition of the Campbell Trophy. Air Force's Chris Howard won the inaugural award in 1990. He's now the president at Robert Morris and a College Football Playoff committee member . The trophy is nicknamed the "Academic Heisman." It recognizes academic success, football performance and community leadership.
Kiser stood out in all three areas. He maintained a 4.0 GPA while working toward a master's degree in higher education. He compiled 132 tackles and five sacks and helped the Cavaliers reach the postseason. Perhaps most importantly, the Baltimore native made a statement of unity in the aftermath of the Charlottesville riots in August. The Virginia football team sent a message by taking a photo with every player locked arm-in-arm.
Kiser was behind that idea. And he wants to continue pushing for more for student-athletes to spearhead that social change.
"There needs to be more investment in student-athletes off the field, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds," Kiser said. "Mostly black student-athletes. I feel like they pick to their schools, and they are kind of just part of a machine. It eats them up, and they don't know how to take advantage of the opportunities they can be a part of. That's my biggest thing."
Kiser credits his parents for his pay-it-forward thinking, where he grew up with the expectation to be an "excellent student and excellent football player."
He had that second part covered as a star linebacker for the Cavaliers. Virginia reached the postseason for the first time since 2011, and plays Navy in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28.
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"Our whole career we felt like we underachieved and didn't live up to what we were expected to do," Kiser said. "We really took accountability for that and wanted to change things."
From there, Kiser will participate in the Reese's Senior Bowl on Jan. 27 in Mobile, Ala. In the meantime, he'll enjoy being a student-athlete for a week. Kiser said he'll attend the ESPN College Football Awards Show in Atlanta on Thursday and the Lott Impact Award banquet on Saturday. But the Campbell Trophy means something extra. Kiser called it "best individual award" he has ever received.
"One of the best football events I've been ever to, probably the biggest the one on a national scale scope of who is here," Kiser said. "Being in the same room with guys like Peyton Manning, Barry Switzer, Phillip Fulmer, Steve Spurrier and Matt Leinart. These are guys I grew up watching on TV."
Maybe somebody will say the same about Kiser one day. He's way ahead there, too.
