Not many NFL players have as accomplished a resume as Los Angeles Rams fifth-round pick Micah Kiser. On the field, Kiser led the ACC in tackles three years in a row. Off the field, he was arguably more impressive, doing a lot of work in his community while excelling in the classroom despite a very difficult schedule.

In a recent interview with the Rams’ team site, Kiser laid out how he was able to balance pursuing multiple degrees with his time on the field. He mentioned that it’s something he’s been doing his whole life, saying “I went to the Gilman School in Baltimore which is a pretty hard school, a college-preparatory school. But we also had great athletics as well, so I was balancing those then. Went to UVA and like I said, the athletic administration there is great at helping you, getting you the academic support you need.”

Kiser recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs and is still working on obtaining a Master’s degree in higher education. His off-field activity has been so distinguished that he was awarded the Campbell Trophy this past season. The Campbell Trophy, known as the “Academic Heisman,” is given every year to the player with the ‘best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.’

Pursuing multiple degrees while playing football at a famously rigorous academic school like Virginia is no small feat, and it shows what type of person the Rams are getting in their new inside linebacker.

“On the field, I was striving to be the best and then off-field I was striving to be the best as well. That’s just the kind of guy I am. That’s what my makeup is all about and I want to keep doing that in the future” he explained.

Kiser said his prowess in the classroom has helped him on the field before, saying “You play linebacker, you want to make as many tackles as you can… I was really smart so I could make a lot of plays.”

Kiser also talked about the role his family played in setting him up for success.

My parents raised me to do everything I can to the best of my abilities, so they invested in me going to good schools from an early age,” he said. “I took advantage of everything I had in my life and wanted to be the best at everything I was doing.”

With a thin depth chart at inside linebacker, Kiser could be thrown into the fire right away. With a shot at significant playing time as a rookie, Rams fans should feel good knowing the type of person that Kiser is and how hard he’ll be working to improve. It sure sounds like the team got a winner in Kiser.