Georgia Football Freshman Nick Moore: Man on Campus
Nick Moore brings not only a man’s body and strength to the Georgia football squad this fall, he brings a man sized appreciation for his opportunity.
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If football is a man’s game, Georgia scored a recruiting coup when Nick Moore agreed to walk on for the Dawgs this fall. After four years scrapping and scraping in the Boston Red Sox minor league system, Moore comes to Georgia 22 years old. He also is 45 pounds bigger than he was when he graduated from high school and wise enough to understand the opportunity the Bulldogs present.
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“He’s mature. He’s not a high school senior, he’s a 22-year old man,” said his position coach at Brookwood High School, David Nelson to Anthony Dasher of UGAsports.com. “I think he really grew up and matured in terms of now being in a role where he’s got some adversity. I think Nick learned a lot about himself that is going to be very valuable for him at Georgia.”
Moore’s intangible qualities could be of greatest value. His leadership, savvy and maturity could be just the thing to convert a talented freshman crop into a championship football team.
“He was a senior on our state championship football team that won in 2010, and he was a critical piece of our team. He was a great leader. He was the quarterback of our secondary,” Nelson said. “I was the secondary coach and it could have been me standing on the field because he knew everything that we needed to do. He got the guys lined up, told them where they needed to go. He knew what everybody needed to do and he just did a fantastic job for us.”
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As Moore starts his football career as a member of Georgia’s linebacker corps, the big question is, can Moore compete as a football player.
After combining 45 pounds with four years of physical maturity, Moore definitely looks better getting off the bus than he did in high school.
“In high school, I worked out, but I have all the free time I need now,” Moore told Will Hammock of the Gwinnettdailypost.com. “I just turned it up a notch. I feel good. I feel strong, definitely stronger than I was when I played (at Brookwood).
Moore displayed significant football skills as a high senior, leading Brookwood to the state championship as a two-way player. Moore’s role on offense lacked glamour, toiling in the trenches as a blocking tight end.
But on defense, Moore intercepted a county-high nine passes as a safety and earned Touchdown Club of Atlanta defensive back of the year honors. He also was a snapper and averaged 35.5 yards as the team’s fill-in punter late in his senior year, picking up a big first down on a fake punt against Collins Hill in the state semifinals.
After the trials of a minor league career, the lifetime Dawg fan brings a special appreciation for his new opportunity. Jake Rowe quoted Moore for 247sports.com. “I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity @georgiafootball and the University of Georgia has given me. I’m truly blessed and thankful for the next journey I have before me. To say I’m excited is an understatement. Words can’t express what I feel. I can’t wait.”