Trey Moore won’t be suiting up for this College Football Playoff run, but he could be a reason why the Texas Longhorns could start thinking about another push come 2024. The former UTSA pass-rusher officially committed to Texas over the weekend after spending two seasons with the Roadrunners. Offers came flooding in from across the country, but the culture established on the Forty Acres outworked programs like Alabama and Ohio State when finalizing a deal. Moore, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, isn’t some random Group of Five talent looking to blossom at the next level. He could’ve stuck around in San Antonio, balled out and likely secured his status as a top-50 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Instead, he heads to Austin as the newest force coming off the edge to terrorize quarterbacks in the SEC. Moore’s lethal when you give him space, too. Last season in 12 games, he totaled 45 tackles with 17.5 TFL and 14 sacks.
Those numbers alone would have led Texas in nearly every category. Moore’s freshman season (59 tackles, 18 TFLs and 8.0 sacks) would have done the same. The Longhorns didn’t need Moore to strengthen their odds of returning to the postseason, but anything to fortify one’s chances is considered promising. With T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy off to the NFL following the College Football Playoff, adding pressure was essential this offseason. Moore can provide that, along with a handful of quarterback takedowns that derail an offense from putting up points. Moore is also a highly effective run defender who often wins at the point of attack coming off the edge.
Moore should flourish opposite sack leader Ethan Burke next season. Anthony Hill Jr. who finished second in sacks, should fill the void lost by Sweat and Murphy up the middle when asked to blitz. Steve Sarkisian also put together back-to-back top-five recruiting classes filled with emerging defensive talent, including five-star edge rusher Collin Simmon from Duncanville.
Texas focused its attention on the recruiting circuit over the transfer portal, but the trio of talent added should be plug-and-play starters once they arrive on campus. And while Matthew Golden and Andrew Mukuba are standouts in their own right, few portal entries have the persona of Moore. More of Moore is a good thing for the Longhorns. Attention is set on winning against No. 2 Washington in the Sugar Bowl, but knowing what’s in store for 2024 might be just as exciting for those who bleed the Burnt Orange.
