Fireworks went off on the Fourth of July for the Fighting Irish, as Naples (Fla.) High class of 2022 cornerback Devin Moore announced his pledge to Notre Dame.
He also closely considered Alabama and Florida, which were closer to home options and premier defensive back schools, and Stanford, one of the best universities in America. But Moore felt that Notre Dame offered him the best of both worlds.
“Notre Dame was the choice because the combination of what you can get there is incomparable to any other school in the country,” Moore told BlueandGold.com prior to announcing his decision. “The development you receive there that goes along with the education is something that’s very special. To add in how the fans show love, the brand and everything that Notre Dame has — it’s unbelievable.”
Former Notre Dame safeties coach Terry Joseph offered Moore back in May of 2020, and the 6-2, 180-pounder was interested in Notre Dame, but the Irish became a much bigger contender when defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, recruiting coordinator Chad Bowden and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens took over the recruitment earlier this year. That trio first recruited Moore while they were at Cincinnati.
“When I visited, I felt the family vibe come alive,” Moore added. “Over Zoom calls, it was hard to feel it like that, but when I got there, the family vibe was amazing. They’re very connected with each other because they came from similar places and know each other. I love those guys.”
Moore officially visited Notre Dame June 11-13 and took an official to Stanford a couple weeks later. It was a close battle between the two academic powerhouses.
“After I took the Stanford visit, I was Stanford everything,” Moore admitted. “I knew that was off of adrenaline, so I took a week to chill out, think about it all and reevaluate. I talked it over with my family over dinner one night, and they were big fans of Notre Dame like I was too. I was hoping they’d say Notre Dame like me, and they did.”
He hopped on a FaceTime video call July 2 with Bowden, Freeman, Mickens, Chris O’Leary and Brian Kelly to inform the Irish coaches of his decision.
“I told them that I was coming, and they were ecstatic about that,” Moore said.
Moore only plans to visit Notre Dame from here on out until National Signing Day rolls around in December. He wants to head up to South Bend this fall to catch a game and plans to enroll early as well.
“I’m very excited,” Moore continued. “I’m going to focus in on my high school season and help my team win a state championship, and after that, it’s 100 percent Notre Dame for me. I’m ready to get up there and make an impact for the team.”
Notre Dame’s recruiting win here is especially impressive considering that Florida’s cornerbacks coach, Jules Montinar, attended Moore’s high school and has a very strong connection with Moore. He visited Alabama and Florida unofficially in June before locking in his pledge to the Irish.
Moore was ranked as a three-star recruit until June 11, when Rivals bumped him to four-star status and the nation’s No. 29 cornerback.
“Moore has tremendous length at cornerback and great instincts, a great combination for someone who has proven to be a four-star prospect,” Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney wrote. “He has terrific speed to run with receivers, long arms to tip passes away, and he can pick off passes. Moore could definitely move even higher because he hasn't been to many national events yet, so once the Naples (Fla.) prospect is seen more, he could move up fast.”
Moore is Notre Dame’s third defensive back commitment in the 2022 class, joining Corona (Calif.) Centennial’s Jaden Mickey and Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Jayden Bellamy. Moore can play the boundary cornerback position or move to safety. Mickey is likely a field cornerback, while Bellamy could play field cornerback, nickel or safety.
During his junior season in 2020, Moore recorded 26 tackles, three tackles for loss, four interceptions and five pass deflections. Across 31 games of his prep career, Moore has posted 122 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 10 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 14 pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
“I’m fast enough to stick with the shorter, quick receivers and big enough to lock down the physical receivers,” said Moore.
Moore was named to the Collier County Athletic Conference first-team defense for his efforts in 2020. He is committed to playing in the 2021 All-American Bowl in San Antonio Texas.
Moore held more than 30 offers, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
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