MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia's Rodney Gallagher III loves two things - his family and football.
Gallagher has tried to represent his family in multiple ways on and off the gridiron.
The Uniontown, Pennsylvania, native is in his third season in Morgantown, which is 28 miles away from his hometown.
He's appeared in 28 career games at WVU. But, despite his on-the-field success, Gallagher feels his best value comes off the field giving back to the youths.
Gallagher lost his late mother, Crystal, in 2011 when he was 7 years old.
Gallagher's mother was and still is an important figure in his life. Since arriving to WVU, he's done outreach for grieving children.
Gallagher even announced over the summer his desire to start his own organization.
"It means a lot to continue to help children that went through something that I went through," Gallagher said. "It means a lot to me, so it puts a little bit of extra enthusiasm within me [to] go out there and not play for myself and the team but play for those kids also."
The Uniontown native will wear a decal on his helmet during Saturday's game against the Pitt Panthers.
"I'm very excited for the game and the patch. It means a lot," Gallagher said. "I play for [my mother] every game. But, [it] being in the Backyard Brawl just means something a little more."
Gallagher's mother was a WVU fan. However, Rodney's sister Kaylea was a member of the Pitt dance team.
The Gallagher family was a house divided with Rodney playing football at WVU and his sister dancing for the Panthers.
"Whenever she was a senior, I was a freshman. It was just a surreal moment for my family," Gallagher said. "We're going back and forth all week and stuff. They're big Mountaineer fans, but they gotta support my sister too because she's on the [dance] team. It was a great moment for all of us."
Rodney has played in the Backyard Brawl twice now, with his first game coming in 2023.
Gallagher lived about 75 miles from Pittsburgh. So, he understands the importance of the Backyard Brawl, as he heads into his third one.
"It goes back to when I was a kid and watching this game on TV and knowing a little bit about it, coming to as many games I could," Gallagher said. "I was young, but I really didn't understand it until I got here and played in it. This is the biggest game of the year. The fans, we [as players] and coaches care about it."
Gallagher's first Backyard Brawl was the first time it had been played in Morgantown since 2011.
West Virginia defeated the Panthers, 17-6, with Gallagher catching a career-long pass of 33 yards.
His expectations of the rivalry were exceeded in 2023.
"I'd definitely say it was more intense," Gallagher said. "I really didn't understand how much the fans really hated Pitt. It's really crazy. But, I'm very excited, and I feel like, with me being [in] Year 3, it's just different, and I'm ready to go out there and put on a show with my guys. We need to make a statement."
WVU has 81 new players this year. Gallagher has taken his turn telling them about the Backyard Brawl.
"Whenever I did talk to the guys a little bit about this game, I just told them the experience that you're gonna get for this game is gonna be something that you never had before," Gallagher said. "Everybody cares about it, and it's the most-cared[-about] game that we have on the schedule. So, you just take it all in and take full advantage of the opportunity that we're gonna get."
Gallagher caught 26 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. He scored two of his three touchdowns in the final three games of the season.
He and the rest of the Mountaineers are trying to jell in a new system, with coach Rich Rodriguez back as the head coach.
"I think I've been pretty good, continuing to get more opportunities for not [just] myself but the team," Gallagher said. "[I want to] continue to do what I need to do to help this team win."
Gallagher said his approach has led to him becoming a more seasoned player.
"[What's different is my] preparation, more film study and what to expect and what's going on within the defense, now that I got that experience," Gallagher said.
