Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Details Trey Moore's 'Unique Ability'

The Texas Longhorns boast a formidable pass-rushing threat in Trey Moore after landing him via the transfer portal.

Trey Moore (8) edge for the Texas Longhorns directs team mates during defensive drills at practice at Frank Denius Fields on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Texas Longhorns have lost some elite-level talent on the defensive line with the departures of Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat but quickly made up for it in the transfer portal with a player that could soon be heading to the pros as well.

Texas edge rusher Trey Moore has been the talk of the offseason for Longhorns fans due to what he did down I-35 for the UTSA Roadrunners last season. The 2023 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year is coming off a 14-sack campaign in which he established himself as one of the country's best.

Questions have been raised about his ability to sustain production with a move from the AAC to the SEC, but based on the latest practice takeaways from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, Moore is living up to the hype and then some.

Dec 2, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Austin Aune (2) passes in front of UTSA Roadrunners linebacker Trey Moore (31) in the second half at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

“He’s very twitchy,” Sarkisian said. “Trey is not the biggest guy. He’s not small, but he’s not the biggest guy. He’s very twitchy. He has a unique ability to bend when he comes around the corner and get underneath tackles. He’s a very natural athlete. ... “He’s going against two good tackles in Kelvin (Banks) and Cam (Williams). ... Trey’s winning on some rushes, and that’s a good thing. That’s pushing those two guys at tackle as well.”

Moore, a product of Smithson Valley High School and San Antonio, stayed home in the 210 as part of UTSA's 2021 recruiting class under coach Jeff Traylor. He had just one tackle as a freshman but burst onto the scene as a junior last season, as his 14 sacks were the third-most in FBS. Moore also tallied 45 total tackles, three passes defended, one forced fumble and an interception.

If Moore can somehow have 14 sacks again during his first season in the SEC, go ahead and hand Texas the conference title. Of course, that's easier said than done, but Moore brings some SEC-ready talent to the plate that opposing offensive lines would be foolish to ignore.