He thought he was on the show for College Game Day, but GMA flew in his mom, Daisy, to join him, and recognized his work in the community.
Jessie Malit lives by NCCU's model "truth and service."
The political science major is "one of a kind," said Lucy Mason, Student Athlete Leadership and Development Coordinator at NCCU.
For example, for the 2020 election, the 6-foot-3 defensive lineman rallied 300 student athletes, including the entire NCCU football team, to register and vote.
He's made a difference at home and an entire ocean away -- in Kenya.
"There are some kids who can barely afford books and Jessie, being the person he is in the community, he was like, 'oh this is something great that we can give back,'" Daisy said.
In just a few months, Jessie collected and donated 400 books to his mother's home village.
"He's done a great job of representing North Carolina Central University both on and off the field," Coach Trei Oliver said. "He exemplifies what Eagle Pride is and Eagle Excellence."
"I'm really humbled to be in this position that I am and I just want to keep being able to do what I do," Jessie said on that.
To help with that, a nonprofit organization called First Book donated 1,600 books to Jessie's cause, helping him exceed his goal of 1,000.