Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2021 37 BY MIKE SINGER Fireworks went off on the Fourth of July for the Fighting Irish, when Naples (Fla.) High class of 2022 cor- nerback Devin Moore announced his pledge to Notre Dame. He also closely considered Ala- bama and Florida, which were op- tions closer to home and premier de- fensive back schools, and Stanford, one of the best universities in Amer- ica. But Moore felt that Notre Dame offered him the best of both worlds. "Notre Dame was the choice be- cause the combination of what you can get there is incomparable to any other school in the country," Moore told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "The development you receive there that goes along with the education is something that's very special. "To add in how the fans show love, the brand and everything that Notre Dame has — it's unbelievable." Former Notre Dame safeties coach Terry Joseph offered Moore in May 2020, and the 6-2, 180-pounder was interested by the program, but the Irish became a much bigger con- tender once defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, recruiting coordi- nator Chad Bowden and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens took over the recruitment earlier this year. That trio first recruited Moore while they were at Cincinnati. "When I visited, I felt the family vibe come alive," Moore added. "Over Zoom calls, it was hard to feel it like that, but when I got there the family vibe was amazing. They're very con- nected with each other because they came from similar places and know each other. I love those guys." Moore officially visited Notre Dame June 11-13 and took an official to Stanford a couple weeks later. It was a close battle between the two academic powerhouses. "After I took the Stanford visit, I was Stanford everything," Moore admitted. "I knew that was off of adrenaline, so I took a week to chill out, think about it all and reevaluate. "I talked it over with my family over dinner one night, and they were big fans of Notre Dame like I was too. I was hoping they'd say Notre Dame like me, and they did." He hopped on a FaceTime video call July 2 with Bowden, Freeman, Mickens, assistant Chris O'Leary and head coach Brian Kelly to inform the Irish coaches of his decision. "I told them that I was coming, and they were ecstatic about that," Moore said. Moore only plans to visit Notre Dame from here on out until Na- tional Signing Day rolls around in December. He wants to head up to South Bend this fall to catch a game and plans to enroll early as well. "I'm very excited," Moore contin- ued. "I'm going to focus in on my high school season and help my team win a state championship, and after that, it's 100 percent Notre Dame for me. I'm ready to get up there and make an impact for the team." The Irish's recruiting win here is es- pecially impressive considering that Florida's cornerbacks coach, Jules Mon- tinar, attended Moore's high school and has a very strong connection with the prospect. He visited Alabama and Florida unofficially in June before lock- ing in his pledge to the Irish. Moore was ranked as a three-star recruit until June 11, when Rivals bumped him to four-star status and the nation's No. 29 cornerback. "Devin is a coach's dream," Naples defensive back coach Marvin Gray Jr. said. "He takes care of his business in the classroom and does all of the right things on the field. He pays at- tention to detail. "Everything you want in a football player is Devin Moore." During his junior season in 2020, Moore recorded 26 tackles, three tack- les for loss, four interceptions and five pass deflections. Across 31 games in his prep career, Moore has posted 122 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 10 in- terceptions (two returned for touch- downs), 14 pass deflections, one fum- ble recovery and one forced fumble. "I'm fast enough to stick with the shorter, quick receivers and big enough to lock down the physical receivers," Moore said. Moore was named to the Collier County Athletic Conference first-team defense for his efforts in 2020. He is committed to playing in the 2021 All- American Bowl in San Antonio. Moore held more than 30 offers, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE DEVIN MOORE Florida Cornerback Is Headed To South Bend Moore, who is listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 29 cornerback in the nation by Rivals, made his pledge to the Irish over Alabama, Florida, Stanford and others. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER FILM ANALYSIS "Devin Moore has tremendous length at cornerback and great instincts, a great com- bination for someone who has proven to be a four-star prospect. He has terrific speed to run with receivers, long arms to tip passes away, and he can pick off passes. "Moore could definitely move even higher because he hasn't been to many national events yet, so once the Naples (Fla.) High prospect is seen more, he could move up fast." — Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney "When I visited, I felt the family vibe come alive. Over Zoom calls, it was hard to feel it like that, but when I got there the family vibe was amazing. They're very connected with each other because they came from similar places and know each other. I love those guys." MOORE ON THE IRISH COACHING STAFF