Jefferson Co. senior, Tennessee commit Nic Moore has tools to excel at center

DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — If there’s any Jefferson County player that Patriots head coach Spencer Riley has seen who could play and be successful at Tennessee, it’s offensive lineman Nic Moore.

The senior committed to the Vols in June and is set to become the first player from the Patriots to play for Tennessee since his head coach.

“I felt like it was a program for me because I’m a really big people person so if I just feel a connection between you guys and the coaches had a connection with the players that’s a genuine connection,” Moore said. “And the players had a genuine connection with each other and I just felt like that’s an environment that I need to be in.”

The Jefferson County senior said the Vols see him playing at center.

“They said that I have the brain to do that along with the size of center cause I also have long arms and they just thought that was the best place for me seeing that I can move faster than some of the people on the line because I’m a little bit faster.”

Turns out, his head coach does too.

“He’s big. He’s athletic. I mean, he’s a 6’5″, 6’4″, 6’3″ kid, right, 300 pounds that can run, you know what I mean, so it was kind of a no brainer,” said Riley. “He always saw himself as a defensive lineman and I told him, ‘look man, I was the fifth best defensive lineman in the country and I never played a snap of defensive line at Tennessee. So I’m just gonna sit here and tell you right now that the best place you can play college football is on the offensive line and I could see you being an All-American center.’”

A center from the Knoxville area with knowledge and physicality could also be used to describe another member of the current Vols roster, a lineman that Moore just so happens to look up to, and is learning from.

“May be a little basic but I’m gonna say Cooper Mays. He’s the center and if I’m gonna be taking his position after he’s gone I would like to see what he did,” Moore said. “Recently I’ve been becoming more familiar with him and his playing style so I’ve been trying to see the little details he does at center, so I’ve been looking up to him a lot to see what he’s doing.”

Playing college football was always the dream. Now, with the opportunity to snap the ball with the Vols, it’s Moore’s reality.

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