A University of Alabama student killed when he and a friend were crossing a Florida road is being remembered as a much-loved young man who was known for always encouraging others.

Jackson Cunningham, of Hoover, and Nicole Moore, of Calera, both died early Saturday when they were struck by an off-duty Escambia County sheriff’s deputy who was on his way home from working an off-duty job.

Cunningham and Moore, both 20, were dead on the scene.

“He was amazing,’’ said father Les Cunningham. “He was well-loved, and he always brought people together.”

“He had the whole world ahead of him,” he said.

The crash happened at 2:57 a.m. on State Road 292 and River Road in Florida’s Escambia County.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol report, the 47-year-old driver from Pensacola was traveling east on State Road 292 when he struck the pedestrians while they were crossing the road.

“The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office employee was not actively patrolling nor on duty,” said FHP Capt. Jason King. “The Florida Highway Patrol remains diligent and focused on our investigation into this crash, as we are with all of the ones we unfortunately must investigate.”

Cunningham was taking a year off from college after finishing his sophomore year at UA, where he was a member of Theta Chi fraternity.

“He was a man of unwavering character, faith, and kindness, and his impact on the lives of others will last forever,” Theta Chi posted on social media. “His laughter and smile was felt in every corner of the room he was in, and his absence leaves a hole in our brotherhood that words can’t fully express. Until we meet again, brother.”

Moore was a cosmetology student at Paul Mitchell The School Birmingham

“Our hearts are heavy as we remember Nicole Moore, one of our bright and beautiful future professionals,” the school posted on Facebook. “Nicole brought laughter, light, and warmth to every room she walked into. Her sense of humor, talent, and kindness left a lasting impression on everyone students and staff alike.”

Cunningham graduated from Hoover High School where he had played basketball.

After two years in college, he was preparing to take a break and was working installing fiber optic cable.

“He had done really well in school but said he wasn’t sure college was for him,” Les Cunningham said. “He didn’t want to burden us with something he didn’t think he was getting value from.”

“The past six or eight months, his maturity level was just off the chains,” his father said. “I finally had peace as a parent with decision making.”

Just last week, Les Cunningham said, he was having dinner with his son, and his son learned that one of his friends had died. Cunningham and the friend were supposed to play in a poker tournament together last weekend.

“He was really shocked by it, and we started talking about how fragile life was and how lucky we are when our foot hits the ground every morning,” Les Cunningham said.

“He said, ‘I gave my life to Christ.’ He was planning to get baptized at Church of the Highlands in August,” Les Cunningham said. “I was like wow, he was on a spiritual journey of his own.”

“When this happened, I knew he was prepared but I was not,” the grieving father said. “But it did give me peace.”

Cunningham, his father said, was very close to his family, including his mother, Kelly Borganelli. He was best friends with his older sister, and father figure to his 13-year-old sister.

“We had such a close relationship. He could tell me anything,” Les Cunningham said. “We were best friends.”

Cunningham still loved to play basketball recreationally and spent a lot of time working out.

“He was a man’s man,” he said. “His friends looked up to him.”

“If you ask his friends what they thought, he pushed them to be a better person,” Les Cunningham said. “He was competitive, and he pushed them to be a better person.”

“He was very encouraging to them, helping them with their workouts and leading them to Christ, getting them to think about their futures,” he said. “He was just such a positive influence.”

Cunningham went to the beach last weekend with a group of friends. They had bumped into Moore and one of her friends on the beach earlier in the day, and Cunningham had known them from college, his father said.

When the crash happened, they were heading to the beach access to go crabbing.

The vehicle missed two of Cunningham but struck him and Moore. “It killed them instantly,” Les Cunningham said.

Les Cunningham said following his son’s death, a neighbor shared with him that he had lost his own son more than a decade ago and said he still thinks about him every day.

“Right now, I’m thinking about him every minute, so I hope it gets to every day,” Les Cunningham said. “But I’ve found peace because I know he was ready for that day.”

“I just thought I’d get to see him again,” he said. “I’m heartbroken because I can’t see him as a father because I know he’d be the best dad ever.”