Verndale’s Samuel Moore had options when it came to choosing a college. The senior lineman had offers from multiple schools but also had the opportunity to compete in more than one collegiate sport. Moore had several reasons he made his…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inVerndale’s Samuel Moore had options when it came to choosing a college. The senior lineman had offers from multiple schools but also had the opportunity to compete in more than one collegiate sport. Moore had several reasons he made his college decision, but one reason was he would have the opportunity to compete in two sports.
“Recruiting is complicated,” Moore explained. “I didn’t realize how complicated it would get and by the time I had it figured out it was over. It was a good experience. I got out of it what I wanted in the long run, but there were a couple of things that were weird. I accidentally committed to Iowa. (Iowa head) Coach (Kirk) Ferentz called me up right after they offered me and asked if I wanted to be a Hawkeye. What was I supposed to say? I said ‘yeah.’ Why would you say no? I am not going to say, ‘no, I don’t want to be a Hawkeye.’ They assumed that was a commitment. Other than that, recruiting went well.”
After the brief confusion was cleared up, Moore committed to North Dakota State.
“I liked the (NDSU) tradition of winning,” Moore said. “I am used to that. We haven’t won a championship (at Verndale) in a while, but we have always had winning seasons. I think my dad has been coaching at Verndale for twenty years and has had two losing seasons. It was also close to home.”
He liked the feeling he got when on the NDSU campus as well.
“The people were all friendly – the players, the coaches, everyone. It felt like home.”
The Bison staff liked Moore as well.
“They liked my athletic ability – that I can do track and football,” northstarfootballnews.com’s 16th ranked prospect in the 2018 class said. “I talked to (NDSU’s) weightlifting coach, and we were talking about shot put. I told him I could throw almost sixty feet and he was surprised I could throw that at only 220 pounds. I think he was pleased with that. Both football and track coaches think I can do both sports, but I think they are secretly hoping I don’t do the other one. The (track and football coaches) still worked together on it. They knew to get me they had to put this together. I appreciated that they did that – it was one of the reasons I chose them.”
Moore is going into track expecting to throw the shot put, the discus and even though he has never done either, the hammer throw and the weight throw.
Despite being only 220 pounds during his senior season of football, on the football field Moore will be on the Bison defensive line and for now, expects to begin camp at the three-technique.
“I have been weight lifting and eating right. I am up to a solid 235 right now,” the two-sport star said. “The Bison would rather recruit smaller guys who can move and then they can put the weight on and stay mobile.”
Even with quickness a strength of his now, if he wants to play in year one – which is his goal – quickness has still been a focus this winter.
“One of my goals is to play as a freshman,” Moore said. “I don’t know if I will be able to, but that is what I am working towards. In order to do that I have to be a lot quicker and more explosive than those guys because I might not have the weight yet.”
Moore might end up playing his freshman season of football, but a red-shirt year is also a possibility. Competing in two sports his entire college career is a possibility but after year one so is concentrating on one sport. There are several reasons Moore and the Bison could end up being a perfect match. What form that match will take may not become clear until his career at NDSU is complete.
