'Hungry' Freshman Wideout Already Leading Tigers in One Area

TJ Moore didn’t get the benefit of a spring practice.

As a summer enrollee, the former 5-star receiver has had to hit the ground running during summer workouts, and as the Tigers get set to open fall camp, that is exactly what Moore has done.

“TJ… if you look, and our guys know this, but you can see how much time they’re spending on their on their iPads studying, and I think he’s number one right now as far as how much he’s been watching film,” receivers coach Tyler Grisham said on Tuesday at Clemson’s annual media day. “He’s really hungry. And he wants to play and he wants to play early. I don’t know any freshman that doesn’t want to play as a freshman.”

Despite not enrolling early, expectations are high for the 6-foot-3 Moore, and Grisham is anxious to finally get his hands on the elite-level talent out of South Florida.

“So much of that’s going to be on me to try and make sure that they know what to do, that they’re ready mentally,” Grisham said. “And then they got to go do it. So I’m excited for them to have that opportunity.”

As a senior at Tampa Catholic, Moore registered 50 catches for 1,272 yards and 17 touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 25.4 yards per catch and 106 yards per game. Moore scored at least one touchdown in nine of his 12 games and saved his best for last, totaling 170 yards and three touchdowns on four catches in his final high school game.

Since arriving on campus in early May, Moore has fully immersed himself in the Tigers’ playbook. While Grisham never promised the young wideout a starting spot, he did tell Moore the opportunity for early playing time was there.

Clemson has had receivers earn freshman All-American honors in each of the past two seasons and with fall camp kicking off next week, Moore just has to now go out and earn his shot at continuing that trend.

“That’s how I’ve recruited,” Grisham said. “I’ve never promised anybody. I didn’t tell them, “Hey, you’re going to be the starter when you come to Clemson.’ I’m not going to do that. Why? I love my guys that are in my room and I believe in my guests in my room. I did say ‘Hey, there’s opportunity for you.’ Again, we’ve had two consecutive years of freshman All-American receivers that stepped up and made big plays for us. So I’m excited for those guys and eager to see what they do this fall camp. So there’s time will tell.”

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