DJ Moore has stayed in frequent contact with Tennessee coach
Josh Heupel’s staff since getting a scholarship offer from the Vols in late November. His first trip to Knoxville last weekend only further solidified their status as one of the early favorites on his fast-growing list of college choices.
The Class of 2024 quarterback from The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., visited Tennessee on March 5 to attend the Vols’ latest junior day, and he said he came away impressed with his first look at the program. He said he’s already planning to visit them again this spring, and Tennessee is now “probably top-two” among the dozen schools currently pursuing him.
The 6-foot-1, 169-pound Moore said the Vols and Cincinnati are the two teams currently standing out to him. Tennessee is one of only a handful of schools he has visited, along with Memphis, Vanderbilt and Florida State, but the Vols made a strong first impression on him last weekend.
“I loved it,” Moore said. “Loved the atmosphere. It was fun. The fans were crazy. The basketball game was one of my favorite parts.
“Just checking out the facilities probably was my favorite (part of the visit). They’re huge compared to any other college I’ve been to, like Memphis and Vanderbilt. They’ve got something going over there.”
Moore said he’s planning to make at least a couple more trips to Tennessee in the coming months.
“I’m going up there for one of the spring practices, and then we’re going to hit a summer camp, throw it around for them,” he said. “They’ve been talking to me about camp for, like, the last two months, probably. I don’t really have a lot of film. I have probably, like, a minute-long highlight reel, and I want to show them how I actually throw in person and let them see it.”
The Vols have been talking with Moore “at least, like, twice a week” over the past few months, he said, led by offensive analyst
Mitch Militello. He said he mostly spent time with Militello and Heupel during his recent visit to Tennessee in addition to meeting quarterbacks coach
Joey Halzle.
“They seemed to show a lot of interest in me,” Moore said. “They think I can fit into the program, so I’m willing to give it a shot.
“They told me they see arm talent, a pure athlete. I can read the field, move around, make plays, sit in the pocket, make off-balance throws — stuff like that. … I’m the top 2024 they have right now. They only have me.”
Moore threw for 853 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions during his junior season, completing 61.9 percent of his passes while splitting snaps with senior Jakie Judge. He admitted he was “kind of” surprised to add offers from several Power Five programs — including Vanderbilt, Duke, Virginia, Wake Forest and Louisville — in the early stages of his recruitment despite his limited playing time last season.
He said he believes he has impressed college coaches with “mainly my arm talent and where I can put the ball that (defensive backs) can’t get and stuff.”
“I feel like I’m one of the best that can do that right now,” Moore added.