Texas EDGE Trey Moore Continues to Prove Himself as SEC-Level Competitor

The junior had a field day against the Florida Gators and made his first appearance at post-game press conferences to talk about it.

Texas Longhorns linebacker Trey Moore (8) celebrates after intercepting the ball during the Longhorns' game against the Florida Gators, Nov. 9, 2024 at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Being one of few defensive transfers that came in ahead of the season, Texas Longhorns junior edge Trey Moore continues to prove himself as a crucial pick-up out of the portal, and had a season-best performance against Florida, according to head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Moore had his second consecutive matchup with a fumble recovery, having one over Vanderbilt two weeks ago and another during Texas' matchup against the Gators on Saturday. His turnover in the first quarter was returned for 13 yards and set the Longhorns up at the 20-yard line, resulting in a touchdown to assist in Texas' convincing 49-17 win.

On Florida's previous drive, Moore swooped in with back-to-back tackles to cut his opponent's time short. He ended the afternoon with four total tackles, including two for a loss of five yards, which was enough for him to make his first appearance of the season at post-game press conferences.

Despite Moore not having the flashiest numbers on the stat sheet, he said all that matters to him is how the secondary performs as an entire unit.

"I'm not too worried about stats, we're just trying to play it strong as a defense as a whole," Moore said during the team's post-game press conference. "As long as we're playing the way we play and can win games, that's really the most important thing to me."

He mentioned that what he's most proud of from his teammates is their ability to be talented at any position and keep the same composure.

"[What I'm most proud of is] just the way we fly around and the way that we rotate," Moore said. "We have plenty of guys to get in the game and make plays, so just being able to stay together and do what we do is important."

Moore, named the District 27-6A Defensive Player of the Year during his senior season, wasn't heavily recruited out of Smithson Valley High School, and spent his first three years of college at UTSA as an outside linebacker. During his time as a Roadrunner, he claimed the school records for single-season sacks with 14 and tackles for loss with 18, also garnering 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

However, he felt that his skills were built for a bigger stage, and Texas offered him the opportunity he'd been waiting for, a decision that he now reaps the benefits of.

"I've always believed in myself, I've always had that chip on my shoulder," Moore said. "[A big motivating factor in transferring to Texas] was just to prove myself. Being able to show the league or the next level that I can do it at all levels."

Nine games into the season, Moore has seen action in every single one and currently totals 17 tackles, 10 of them solo. The transfer looks to continue feeding into the momentum that has been evident through all phases of the program as it nears the end of the regular season and hopes to see an SEC Championship.

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