Sio Moore knows he’s been lucky on many levels.

Lucky to be contributing to the UConn football team as a redshirt freshman linebacker. Lucky to be majoring in resource economics. Lucky to have dodged a bullet aimed at his head.

Lucky to be alive.

Five years ago, Moore was an impressionable 14-year old. Born in Liberia, his family moved to the U.S. shortly after his birth to escape an escalating civil war, soon settling in West Haven.

Moore had potential as a football player. But he wasn’t exactly a model student or citizen.

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“I wasn’t hanging around the right people,” Moore said earlier this week after finishing up a double practice session at UConn. “I was getting myself into situations I shouldn’t have been in. It took a near-death event for me to realize the path I was going down was the wrong one.”

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One night, he says he was lingering around after a late-night party had been shut down. Gunshots were fired. He took off running, only to hear more shots ring out behind him.

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“A bullet went right by my right ear and hit a car next to me,” Moore said. “That haunted me for a good while. I kept thinking about it. What if I turned around at the wrong time? That bullet would have hit me in the head.”

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He decided a change was necessary. It would begin with a new environment. He phoned his sister, Tiplah, older by 19 years, in Apex, N.C., and asked to move in with her family.

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Living with Tiplah and Grady Broadnax gave Moore the basis to change his life. He developed into a major college football prospect, but also a student with goals beyond football.

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“My sister was always like a mom and a sister because she’s so much older,” Moore said. “And her husband is a guy I really looked up to because I saw how he took care of his family and is able to live a comfortable lifestyle. Seeing that, as I got older I realized I wanted to be able to take care of my family and be successful.”

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In the summer of 2007, not long after finishing his junior year of high school, Moore accepted a scholarship to UConn. He briefly toyed with the idea of returning to live with his mother and attend West Haven High, but ultimately returned to Apex.

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Since arriving in Storrs last summer, Moore has gotten bigger and stronger. He’s added over 20 pounds of muscle, and increased his bench press from 300 to 370 pounds. He also had the luxury of learning to play linebacker by watching the Huskies’ talented starting crew of Scott Lutrus, Lawrence Wilson and Greg Lloyd.

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“There’s so much you can learn from guys like that,” Moore said. “They are such good players.”

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Still raw, Moore has shown flashes of brilliance in his brief career. He was named scout team player of the week four times in the fall. At the annual Blue-White Spring Game in April, Moore registered a game-high 17 tackles.

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UConn coach Randy Edsall bumped Moore up to backup weakside linebacker behind junior Lawrence Wilson, himself a Freshman All-America in 2007.

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Moore has continued to impress during preseason camp. On Thursday, the second of two practices in 95-degree August heat, he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown during a live scrimmage.

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But afterward, Moore could only think about the plays he didn’t make.

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“It’s nice to have one, but I should have had three,” he said, shaking his head.

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Moore is being hard on himself. It’s a trickle down effect. Edsall has been pushing him all preseason. Moore has otherworldly ability, but is still learning the nuances of the position.

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“One play he looks like an All-American,” Edsall said. “The next play, he looks like he’s never played the game before. We just need him to be more consistent.”

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Moore’s main contribution this fall will begin with special teams, where Edsall has him involved in all facets. The screaming from Edsall, and he’s heard plenty over the last three weeks, doesn’t bother Moore in the least.

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“Him being hard on me like that is a positive thing,” Moore says. “There are little things I need to improve technique wise.”

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Moore also has a post-football plan in place. Sort of.

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“I’m not sure exactly what I want to do,” Moore said. “All I know is I want a Fortune 500 job.”