Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M N oah Pauley was probably never des- tined for a long career as wide re- ceivers coach at Penn State, given his success at Iowa State and his reputation as a rising star in the profession. But Pauley's tenure as a member of the Nittany Lions' staff turned out to be even shorter than anyone could have expected. On Feb. 5, just one day after he met with PSU beat reporters as part of a media event introducing head coach Matt Campbell's new staff, Pauley ac- cepted a job with the Green Bay Packers, leaving the Nittany Lions with a sud- den vacancy at a spot that had proven difficult to fill during James Franklin's tenure. Pauley's exit touched off a two-week search for a successor. That search ap- peared to end on Feb. 16 when multi- ple media outlets reported that Penn State had hired Kashif Moore away from Colorado State, where he had been set to begin his first season in 2026. Penn State had not officially announced the hire as of Feb. 23, but on his X (formerly Twitter) page, Moore was identifying himself as "Former UConn and NFL WR, Current WR Coach @PennStateF- ball." Moore had previously been part of head coach Jim Mora's staff at Connect- icut. When Colorado State hired Mora in December, Moore chose to join him as part of the Rams' new staff. Now, after only a few weeks in Fort Collins, he's heading back to the Northeast. Moore has made a quick ascent to the Power Four level. A Burlington, N.J., native and former UConn team captain, he played collegiately from 2008-11. He finished his career with 126 catches for 1,699 yards and 13 touchdowns. After a brief tenure in the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Moore started his coaching career at Conard High in Con- necticut in 2019. His first college job was with Wesleyan University in 2020, where he worked with the wideouts, followed by one-year stints as running backs coach at Cornell and Albany. Moore returned to his alma mater in 2023, where he remained until leaving for Colorado State following the 2025 regular season. During his tenure at UConn, Moore oversaw the development of Skyler Bell, a Biletnikoff Award finalist and the first consensus All-American in program history following a redshirt senior sea- son in which he caught 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 2024, two of Moore's receivers reached the 50-catch plateau. Bell fin- ished with 50 receptions for 860 yards and 5 touchdowns, while TJ Sheffield had 54 for 505 yards. Sheffield signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent last spring but was waived in August. Bell is expected to be chosen in April. After two years under Moore's tutelage, the former three-star prospect from The Taft School in Connecticut has been hailed by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. as one of the top sleeper prospects in this year's draft. Aside from his tenure at Colorado State, Moore has spent his entire coach- ing career in the Northeast. He has ties not just in New Jersey but also in the nearby states that Penn State considers its natural recruiting territory. PSU Welcomes Kashif Moore As Wide Receivers Coach G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M THE MOORE FILE PERSONAL Hometown: Burlington, N.J. Education: Connecticut, 2011 Family: Wife Tania; Children Kennedy, Sienna COACHING CAREER 2026-present: Penn State (wide receivers) 2026: Colorado State (pass game coordinator/wide receivers) 2023-25: Connecticut (wide receivers) 2022: Albany (wide receivers) 2021: Cornell (running backs) 2020: Wesleyan (wide receivers) 2019-20: Conard High School, West Hartford, Conn. (assistant coach) PLAYING CAREER 2008-11: Connecticut Moore spent two sea- sons at Connecticut, where he developed S k y l e r B e l l i n t o a B i l e t n i k o f f A w a r d finalist and a consen- sus All-American. PHOTO COURTESY CONNECTICUT ATHLETICS