5-star TJ Moore creates buzz on the field, but is quiet and family-oriented off it

TJ Moore arrives this summer in Clemson.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Feb 08 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

Clemson signee TJ Moore won’t be on campus until June, but there is already a buzz surrounding the 5-star wide receiver after his performance in the All American Bowl last month.

Moore, a 5-star out of Tampa (FL) Tampa Catholic, caught two touchdowns in the game, including a few of the highlight reel variety. TigerNet contacted his high school coach, Jeris McIntyre, for a quick Q&A on Moore.

TN: Going back with TJ, when did you first come across TJ and say, hey, maybe this kid has a chance to be special one day?

McIntyre: “Well, obviously, he played for me his whole high school career. I met him in eighth grade, actually playing flag football, he was running around playing quarterback or whatnot at a school called Slam Middle School, or they have high school now, but it was where he went to middle school. And he was just an athlete, just running around, throwing the ball or whatnot. But I saw him with his length and his ability to move, and his athleticism and knew he could be a special player. You never know that a kid is going to end up a five-star, basically one of the top one or two or three receivers in the country. I'm not going to lie and say I knew that was coming, but he worked. As he worked and developed and worked with us throughout our program and continued the hard work with his father on the off seasons and things of that nature, he just developed into one of those guys.”

TN: What is his work ethic like?

McIntyre: “Well, he's a natural receiver. He loves to work, like I said, with us, he worked his butt off at school and off season with his father, Terrance Moore. Same name, obviously. He was a college receiver and was a really good receiver in college and things of that nature. So he really did put his hands on him a lot to help him develop as well. So a lot of credit goes to his father and him being a receiver and helping him away from Tampa Catholic and from the work that we put in with him at Tampa Catholic.”

TN: What is TJ the person like?

McIntyre: “He's a good kid, man. He's really, really chill. He's not flamboyant, he's not flashy, he's not a loud talker, but really, really a good, good guy, cool dude. He'll joke around a little bit, has a good sense of humor, but he's really just a laid back, hardworking, good, good guy to be around.”

TN: On the football field, what is it that you see with him that makes him special?

McIntyre: “It's a lot of things, but really, man, his just ability to track the football, his routes, getting separation, his length, his speed. It's really just a lot of the things and the attributes that make a good receiver. Starting with ball skills first and foremost, I think the biggest thing people, I don't want to say under or overestimate, is being able to catch the football. And he catches mostly everything you throw to him. He can track the ball in the air. That's the first thing that I would say that makes him different, just his ability to make the difficult catch, the easy catch. And then next is really just his route running. He's smooth, he's long, he can really run, get in and out of his breaks. So the two biggest things I would say is just his catch radius and ball skills, and then next would be just his routes and his ability to get in and out of his breaks.”

TN: What will he need to work on when he gets to Clemson? What are some of the things that he will improve on once he gets here?

McIntyre: “I think all aspects of the game, to be honest. Being a young receiver, you want to work on all aspects. It's hard to just say one thing. I would just tell him, it's me talking as his former head coach or whatnot, just continuing to hone the skills, the things that I said, from the small skills to his routes to his blocking, to just understanding the game as a whole. So nothing one in particular thing, just continue to get better at everything that he does.”

TN: What was it that Clemson, you think, did well? Obviously he committed, I think, last June. What was it that Clemson did well during the recruiting process to not only secure that commitment but keep him when other schools were constantly knocking on the door?

McIntyre: “I think his relationship with Coach Swinney and Coach Grisham really was huge. Coach Grisham pinpointed him early, recruited him, stayed on him, just built that bond and I think that was a big part of it. On top of Clemson just being Clemson, a great university, Coach Swinney has done a great job over the years if winning championships and having that culture and that program that you want to go to. I just think he just felt the family there on this official visit and just felt that was the place that he wanted to be. He was very confident in sticking through with his commitment, regardless of the ups and downs in the season that Clemson had. He was always locked in with Clemson, and Coach Grisham would come visit, and so I think that was huge.”

TN: You've been around, obviously, a lot of really good receivers. Does he remind you of anybody that you played with or you've coached or seen?

McIntyre: “It's hard to say. Man, a lot of people. Of course, Clemson's had their tradition in receivers. I played receiver. I've seen a lot of good guys, long receivers, the Tee Higgins of the world, the Mike Williams at USC, the Mike Williams at Clemson, the Larry Fitzgeralds at Pitt, you know what I mean? So it's really hard to say because you got those 6'3", 6'4" kids and receivers that have done a lot, DeAndre Hopkins, have done a lot of great things in college and went to the NFL and did some stuff. So, it's really hard to say, you know what I mean? But he does put me in the mold, not saying that he's this player, but he does put me in the mold of a Tee Higgins -- of Larry Fitzgerald, a long, big bodied receiver that can stretch the field and make plays down the field.”

TN: What else would we need to know about TJ?

McIntyre: “Not much really. He's a family oriented guy. Like I said, the dad has really done a great job, don't want to leave his mom out either, Ms. Moore, but they've done a great job in raising him and just keeping his head straight and making sure he's doing what he's supposed to do to make it to the next level. So really can't thank them enough in what they do. And he has a little brother, so they're very family-oriented and just good people.”