‘USC is back’: Josh Moore talks flip from Stanford to Trojans
ATLANTA (BVM) – If you ask Josh Moore about the kind of football player he is, he’ll simply tell you he can do everything.
Speed, physicality, ball skills and the ability to play both sides of the ball have made Moore one of the most sought-after recruits in the state of Georgia. The nation’s No. 24 safety picked up offers from Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Michigan State and plenty others due in large part to his play at a position he likely won’t even play at the next level.
Marist High School has several Division I offensive line prospects and leans heavily on the run with its triple-option offensive scheme. As a result, Moore felt that the only way to truly make an impact for his team was to play defense.
“We run the triple option so I don’t get as many opportunities to make the big plays,” Moore said.
Stanford recruited Moore as a safety and he committed to the Cardinal back in May, but that was before USC extended an offer in September. The Trojans wanted Moore as a receiver and exactly one month after receiving an offer, the senior decommitted from Stanford to join Clay Helton’s program in Los Angeles.
The flip was partly due to the idea of playing wide receiver at the next level, but more so about the big-time atmosphere at USC.
“There’s just a bigger atmosphere around the program,” Moore said. “It’s one of the most historical programs in the nation like Texas, Alabama and Georgia; it’s one of those kinds of places. The city of Los Angeles really drew me in, too, because I know there’s a ton of opportunities there and it’ll have me set up for life after football.”
5 catches 167 yards 2 TDs @RecruitGeorgia @gridironjrj #RGTop10 check out my hudl for the rest https://t.co/g2LI1w8gCC pic.twitter.com/7kf0EPdV63
— Josh Moore (@josh_moore138) August 31, 2019
Moore joins an ultra-talented USC 2021 recruiting class that ranks No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. The Marist senior will also team up with a pair of other 2021 wide receiver commits in Michael Jackson III (Las Vegas) and Quaydarius Davis (Dallas) to keep USC’s tradition of being “Wide Receiver University” alive.
This talented position group will be coached by former NFL wideout Keary Colbert, who was taken by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft and instrumental to Moore’s commitment.
“I’m really excited to learn from the guys because we all come from different backgrounds and do things a little differently,” Moore said. “I’m just ready to get there, start gelling with them and balling on the football field to win a Pac-12 championship, maybe a natty (national championship).”
USC has gone 13-12 over the last two seasons since its 11-win 2017 season, but Moore has plans to bring the Trojans back to where they belong.
“I just want to show people that USC is back,” Moore said. “Alabama and LSU have kind of taken over the college football world, with Ohio State, too, but I just feel like USC can still do it.
“We can do it.”
