Florida Gators 2022 Enrollee Profile: DB Devin Moore

Reviewing the recruitment history and providing a long-term outlook for Florida Gators defensive back Devin Moore.

Photo: Devin Moore; Credit: Zach Goodall

Devin Moore, defensive back

School: Naples (Fla.)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 189 pounds

SI All-American Ranking: No. 10 CB, No. 80 (SI All-American top 99)

Recruitment History

Though Moore enrolled early at Florida, we opted to profile him, along with all of the other early enrollees at the university.

The Florida Gators earned a commitment Moore as a late addition to the 2022 recruiting class, flipping him from the previously-committed program Notre Dame. Moore was thought to be one of the hallmarks of Florida's recruiting class this past year and looks to make an impact in a big way in the years to come.

Moore's original offer to Florida would come on May 9, 2019, when his recruitment just started at the prep level. From that point, Moore took an unofficial visit to Florida in June 2021 before officially visiting and later committing to Notre Dame just a month later.

Still, the Florida native would take another unofficial visit to Florida in September that year, looking to get a closer look at one of his closest programs to choose from. Just a couple of months later, after it was obvious former ND coach Brian Kelly would be leaving, Moore opted to decommit from ND.

Despite efforts by Kelly to lure Moore to LSU, Kelly's new post, the Gators and head coach Billy Napier would remain steady on Moore's trail, getting him to officially visit on Dec. 10, commit and enroll early at the university.

The swap for Moore would come primarily due to proximity, a better situation for himself and his family.

"Yeah, just the proximity to home. I mean, you kind of recognize how important your family is to you when you go away for a couple of days or anything like that," Moore told AllGators after an Adidas All-American Bowl practice in January.

"So, being away for, like, a period of four years or three years or however many it may be. I'm always going to wanna have the opportunity to go home without taking a plane and have the opportunity for my parents to come up and watch me play without having to pay a bunch and everything like that."

Where Moore Fits

Moore instantly made the Florida recruiting class last year one of the tops in the nation, at least at the defensive back position. With the addition of blue-chip safety Kamari Wilson and Moore, Florida instantly proved that one year could make a huge difference in the defensive backfield.

Of course, that will all be determined when both players actually see the field over the next couple of years. 

Given his size, there were question marks regarding Moore's expected position. Entering as a cornerback appeared to be one of those major questions, but it appears Florida will continue to try the 6-foot-3 defensive back at the position until he, or anyone else, gives them a reason to change that.

In speaking with AllGators at the All-American game earlier this year, Moore was excited about the prospect of playing corner with Florida.

"If I can do it, then I'm gonna do it, you feel me?" Moore stated. "But, you know, they're gonna move me around a lot too, play nickel on third down and stuff like that, maybe even safety sometimes. But yeah, I'm gonna start at corner.

"They kind of recognize my versatility. So, they just want to put me in a position to make plays, disguise a lot of the coverages and run multiple color coverages because we've got the dudes to do that."

Moore would likely want to continue utilizing his versatility as he moves through the ranks at Florida, allowing him to be a chess piece of sorts until the team finds his best-used position moving forward.

Here is what SI All-American had to say about Moore, one of the site's "First off the Bus Team" players:

At 6'3", nearing 200 pounds, Moore is hands down the longest defensive back prospect on the East roster. The Florida commit used that length in the one-on-one sessions looking comfortable in both press coverage and playing off. The frame could hold a bit more weight upon arrival in college, but the physical traits flashed in the first session in San Antonio.

 

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