Gators CB Devin Moore Earning the Label of 'Mr. Patient' Early In Career

Gators cornerback Devin Moore is shining early in his collegiate career on the field and in practice. He's earning the billing of Mr. Patient from a veteran wideout.

Photo: Devin Moore; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The development of prized freshman cornerback Devin Moore is going according to plan for the Florida Gators in the early portion of the 2022 campaign. 

This offseason, Moore showed promise as an ascending entity at Florida. He quickly became a player co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney — the first player contacted when he came over from Lousiana-Lafayette — and fellow teammates see as a future problem for opposing offenses in the storied Florida secondary. 

Accordingly, the Naples (Fla.) product is already shining in the early days of his career, playing meaningful snaps and making notable plays.

On Monday, Gators wide receiver Justin Shorter continued the program-wide praise for Moore as someone who he said makes him better in practice along with Marshall. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound wide receiver even gave the freshman a fitting nickname that could stick for the longevity of his orange and blue career if he continues at this rate.

"I always call him 'Mr. Patient' because he's very, very patient," Shorter said when asked about what he's seen from Moore in coverage. "I'll never forget my first time going one-on-one with him when he first got in. I like did a little move on him, and he didn't do nothing, just stood there. 

"I just call him patient because, if you see him in games and people run slants on him, he just sits there and holds tight. So I feel like that's a good trait for a defensive back to have."

That's a testament to the rave reviews of his mental maturity and grasp of the cornerback position for someone his age.

In his role in rotation at cornerback, Moore has flashed signs of excellence with his performance at critical points for Florida in his first two outings.

In game one, Moore was responsible for a monumental open-field tackle as Utah targeted the flats to keep the clock running with under a minute remaining on the final drive of the contest. It was his only recorded stat of the game but was a key point for the team's 29-26 upset victory over the No. 7-ranked Utes. The staff's trust to deploy him at that moment backed up their verbal admiration throughout the offseason and fall camp.

Jason Marshall Jr., the leader of Corey Raymond's cornerback unit, offered his take on "the young guy's" performance during media availability on Sept. 7. Like the others in the Gators facility that spoke on Moore, Marshall Jr. was complimentary of his performance and growth since arriving at Florida back in January.

"He had a great game, you know. He was thrown in the fire. He came up with that big tackle to keep the receiver in bounds, so I felt like he had a pretty good game. He grew a lot, he grew tremendously understanding the game."

Returning to the field off the bench against Kentucky, despite the loss, Moore's impact once again came late as the Wildcats neared striking distance as he shed a block, worked downhill and blew up a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage to set up a 3rd and 11 early in the fourth.

The coverage snaps have come sparingly, but when they have, the speed, fluidity and patience he exhibits in practice against Shorter are on display.

His intangibles, natural coverage traits and production for someone being eased into the lineup to begin his career are promising. As the young pieces earn more time to contribute in the calculated rotation the Gators use, Moore can carve out a considerable role for Florida down the stretch of the season.

Adding the base sets of five defensive backs and the occasional six-DB personnel packages under Toney, the chances for Moore to bolster his reputation will come frequently.

If he continues taking advantage of the opportunities he's given, "Mr. Patient," ironically, won't have to wait long to turn his potential as a feature piece in the secondary into fruition.

Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.