Snider sophomore offensive lineman DJ Moore has become a highly sought-after high school football player. Many of the schools who are recruiting him are Power-5 schools. He has received offers from Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Cincinnati.
“I’m just really grateful that I have the opportunity to play football at the next level,” Moore said. “I’m just going to take advantage of the opportunity I have.”
The only school that Moore has been able to visit so far is Indiana. He had visits to other schools scheduled, but those were canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But there was at least one aspect of Indiana football that stood out to Moore.
“I loved Indiana’s weight room program,” Moore said. “The way that they can train their players is something like no other I’ve seen.”
Though Moore has not been able to visit the other schools that have given him offers, he was able to contact some of the other schools’ coaches through means such as FaceTime and Zoom.
Wherever Moore ends up going to college, his high school head coach, Kurt Tippmann has plenty of advice for him in choosing the right school. Part of that advice has to do with finding a school that proves to be the right fit.
“The places that have offered DJ are all absolutely wonderful places and have all kinds of resources,” Tippmann said. “It has to come down to his feel and his relationship with the coaching staff and just his general outlook on ‘is this a place where I can see myself being happy for the next four to five years’. That takes time, but I think there are enough opportunities, and hopefully, as things change here and move forward with the pandemic, he’s able to get on campuses and experience what life could be like going to school there. And that will all aid in his ability to make decisions and find the best fit.”
Since Moore is a sophomore, he stands to play at Snider for two more years. He believes he still has room for growth during the rest of his high school career.
“There’s always room for growth,” Moore said. “I like where I am, but I just want to get better each and every day.”
Moore’s continued development has been a quality that Coach Tippmann has been especially impressed with.
“His first ability is that he’s six foot five, 308 pounds. God blessed him with a football body and an offensive lineman’s body,” Tippmann said. “To DJ’s credit, since he’s come to Snider, [he’s] worked extremely hard and continued to develop. He’s not a finished product yet, but he continues to improve, and I think that’s what a lot of colleges see in him is the potential of what he could be as a 2022 recruit and a young guy. But [there are] certainly lots of upsides and things that they see him developing as an offensive lineman.”
Moore is part of a high school program that is steeped in tradition. Snider celebrated its 55th year of high school football this past season. The Panthers have won two state championships in school history. They have won 17 SAC titles. Snider also happens to be the alma mater of NFL Hall of Famer Rod Woodson. But it’s not just the school’s tradition that Moore appreciates.
“Being a part of Snider, it’s like a brotherhood, really,” Moore said. “These first two years have been nothing short of amazing. It’s hard, and the coaches push you, but you’ve just gotta be mentally strong and go through it every day.”
