The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY 2017 ■ 89 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2017 BY MATT CARTER L inebacker Airius Moore, now a senior, can still recall the day he arrived at NC State under less than typical circumstances for a normal true freshman. In order to sign Moore and get him to fit under the scholarship numbers, Moore was what they labeled a "blueshirt." Technically he was a walk-on, but he would be put on scholarship promptly after arriving. In order to be a walk-on, though, Moore had to restrain from participating in any official recruiting activity and also from enrolling during the second session of sum- mer school, which is when signed scholar- ship players arrive on campus. Instead, Moore did not arrive at NC State until the very start of preseason camp with the rest of the walk-ons. "I was out of the loop basically," Moore said. "I still remember the first day I got here, the people I was with were Brady [Bodine], Jackson Maples, Hampton Bil- lups, Stephen Morrison. "I just remembered it all when we first got here and we were all together and we were all doing the blood work." Soon, Moore met safety Josh Sessoms, the player who Moore said became one of his closest friends, even after Sessoms grad- uated and exhausted his eligibility last fall. The ability to make quick friends comes easy for Moore, perhaps because of his military family background that saw him move from Shreveport, La., to Warner Rob- bins, Ga., to Anchorage, Alaska, and fi- nally to Beavercreek, Ohio — all before he started sixth grade. The moving made Moore learn a valu- able life lesson. "People don't change really, it's just the scenery," he explained. "I've always been comfortable around people, especially peo- ple I just met. You just have to be open to them and they'll be open to you." It is that type of maturity that has set Moore apart since the moment he arrived at NC State with all those walk-ons. "He has always had that from the day he got here," defensive coordinator and line- backers coach Dave Huxtable noted. "Wise beyond his years." An Instant Impact Moore's welcome to college football mo- ment came during his true freshman season at Louisville. An injury to linebacker M.J. Salahuddin opened the door for Moore to play as a rookie, but he understood his role was expected to be limited to primarily special teams duties. With Beavercreek being a short two-and- a-half-hour drive to Louisville, many of Moore's family and friends had circled the date on their calendars. Moore told some of them that they were welcome to come, but not to expect much — he'd just be playing special teams. However, a rash of suspensions opened the door for Moore to start, quite an accomplish- ment for the last member of the 2014 class to show up on campus. With a big opportunity looming, Moore took to heart advice he had received from a familiar face to NC State fans: former wide receiver Tramain Hall. Moore has worked out with Hall since before he even knew Hall was a college receiver who caught 125 passes for 1,466 yards and 12 touchdowns from 2003-05 in Raleigh. Yet Moore almost did not follow Hall's footsteps. He was committed to Indiana until NC State approached him shortly before National Signing Day. He turned to a college assistant coach named Mike Ekeler, who was in transition from a job at USC to one at Georgia, for guid- ance. Ekeler coached at Indiana previ- ously and knew the coaches at NC State. "He had a big pull in what my deci- sion was, and ultimately I decided to come here," Moore said. "I felt like this was the best opportunity for me to play." Ironically, Ekeler took a job at UNC as its linebacker coach this spring. Hall's last advice to Moore before leav- ing for Raleigh was that coaches love play- ers who work "super hard" and pay atten- tion. That was especially crucial for the players who were not currently on the top two of the depth chart. "I think it definitely helped me," Moore remembered. "I came in and asked a lot of questions. I worked super hard." Playing with a "see ball, hit ball" ap- proach, Moore notched his first sack — and even after he famously hurdled a Vanderbilt running back to get a sack in last Decem- ber's win in the Camping World Indepen- dence Bowl, that remains his favorite high- light of his career. He finished his first start with eight tackles, including two for loss and a sack. He almost had a lengthy fumble return for a touchdown, but replays showed the Louisville ball carrier down before the ball popped loose. However, playing linebacker began to truly come together for Moore following his freshman year. Former defensive qual- ity control coach Jeff Knowles, who left in February to take a job as linebackers coach at Northern Illinois, worked with Moore to help him understand the playbook more. "It was making a lot more sense, I knew my alignments while playing Mike," Moore noted. "Then midway through the spring I got moved to Will, and I am play- ing a whole new position. I would say that it clicked for me after I moved to Will, because I understood Mike and now I knew Will, so I was like, 'Now I know all the positions, I got this.'" He finished his sophomore season lead- ing the team in tackles with 77 and won the Bill Cowher Award for most valuable Wolfpack linebacker. Last fall, he capped his junior year by winning the Defensive MVP honor in the Independence Bowl with his nine-tackle and two-sack performance. "I could tell if you turn on the film from when I was in as a freshman to now, you could see the growth I've made in part because of Coach Hux," Moore noted. "He yells at you, but it's all tough love." Stretching His Comfort Zone Smart money suggests that Huxtable does not spend too much time having to raise his voice at Moore. "I just can't say enough good things about Airius; No. 1 as a person," Huxtable ALL-AROUND STUDENT-ATHLETE Senior Linebacker Airius Moore Excels On And Off The Field Moore has appeared in 39 games entering his senior campaign, more than any other player on an experienced defense and tied for the most on the entire squad. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN