In My Own Words: Joe Moore
Every true freshman arriving in Tempe this year is anxious to hit the field, but no one from that group is probably more eager for that occasion than Joe Moore. Due to a meniscus knee injury, the former Cardinal Ritter College Prep (Mo.) defensive lineman got to play in just three games in 2019 but was able to rehab in time to participate in the playoffs. Alas, a powerhouse football program who a year prior was Missouri’s Class 3A state runner-up had to abruptly end their season (and forfeit it as well) in mid-October after an ineligible player was discovered participating in the 2019 season opener. Therefore, the last time Moore saw the field in a competitive game was September 13th. (Moore did participate in the offense-defense bowl game last January).
These adverse circumstances have naturally fueled the four-star prospect’s desire to make an impact as a freshman for the Sun Devils, and his versatility as a defensive lineman should prove valuable on ASU’s front four this season. In our conversation, Moore shares his football background, how a change in position coaches didn’t affect his pledge to the team and his expectations for his inaugural season with Arizona State.
“I started playing football in third grade. I was a little chunky kid. I was playing offensive tackle, but I didn’t really like it though, because I didn’t like getting hit back then. Basketball… that’s all I cared about. I started taking football seriously in my sophomore/junior year. My football coach told me that I couldn’t try out for basketball, and he told the basketball coach that I couldn’t make the team. I was thinking, ‘you’re not telling me I can’t do my dream?’
“So, I went to tryouts, and then the basketball coach told me, ‘you can just turn around. You can’t try out today.’ I was mad because this was the one thing I wanted to do in life that I couldn’t do. I was heated. I was pissed off. But I realized if I can’t do this, I’m going to take football seriously. I told my football coach to open the weight room for me. I know it’s not open for the team but open it for me. I want to take it (football) seriously, and he said ‘Nah, I think you’re playing.’ Then the next day, it was a Tuesday, I said ‘coach can you open up the weight room? I’m serious.’ And he said ‘you want to hoop? go hoop.’ So Wednesday came. I came to him again. Three days in a row. ‘Coach, please open up the weight room. Let me get in there.’ And he gave me the keys, and ever since then, I was in the weight room twice a day just working every day , and then eventually it turned out for the best.
“I got my first offer by the end of my sophomore year from San Diego State. Nothing really happened then. A whole season went on and then nothing the whole offseason, and then I think it was towards the end of our junior season, I got a couple of small offers. It was the offseason after my junior year when I got all my offers. The first ASU coach to talk to me was (former ASU defensive line coach) Jamar Cain. He had come down to the school to see me and later he had a serious talk with me. Usually, coaches just come out and say, ‘Hey Joe, nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you.’ But he actually talking to me and the first thing he asked me was ‘How am I doing? What’s up with my life?’ Him wanting to know personal stuff about me made me look at him differently. Usually, coaches go straight to football when they talked to you, but he wanted to know how I was doing as a person.
“Even though he (Cain) personally called me to let me know that he was leaving for Oklahoma, I was mad. I was mad. I told him, ‘you did all of this to get me here (to ASU), and now you’re just gone?’ But I understand that he’s got a family to feed, things to do with his life, so I can’t be mad at him for his decision.
“After he left, the ASU coaches that called me right away were coach (Antonio) Pierce and coach Marvin (Lewis). They and coach Herm (Edwards) told me, ‘we are going to be fine. We’re not going to get any regular (defensive line) coach. We’ll show you who we’re talking about.’ They were recruited me just as hard after Jamar left and made an effort to make me comfortable. I appreciated it, and that’s why I didn’t want to decommit. They still kept me a part of the ASU program. They didn’t want me to go nowhere.
“I really like (current ASU defensive line coach) Robert Rodriguez. He’s a coach that likes to work hard. He doesn’t take no BS. He likes to get to it, and that’s the type of person I need. I need somebody to push me. I’m a hard worker, but at the end of the day, you always need somebody to keep it real with you, and I feel like he will keep it real. He was coaching in the NFL and I feel that learning from him is going to be a great experience. The way he’s treating me, it’s like he knows me already.
“My dad played in the NFL (running back Joe Moore, who was a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 1971). Him just being a part of the NFL. I don’t have a reason not to do what I need to do. At ASU, being around a staff that were NFL coaches, they know what they’re doing. They’ve been there. They coached players in the NFL.
“Not playing in the playoffs my senior year was hard. I only played three games (to begin the season), and then I tore my meniscus. So, I’m in rehab, but I’m trying to keep everybody’s heads up because I’m team captain. I’m not with the team like I used to be, because I’m in rehab when they are at practice. I’m cheering them on during games. I get the news that I will be back for the playoffs and then to get the news that our season is over…I feel for the other kids who are friends with me. They were relying on this last season.
“I’m healthy now and ready to come in and work. That’s what the coaches expect from me,
and I’m ready to come do that. They see me playing defensive end, but they want me to know all the positions (on the defensive line). I’m willing to work and adjust to anything they ask me to do. Having family down there (Moore’s brother lives in the Phoenix area) will help me.
“Even though I’m a freshman, my goal is to get on the field that first year. I got to make plays, even if it’s just a forced fumble or something like that. In my first year, I got to make a name for myself. I’m going 18 hours away (drive from St. Louis), and I got to make a name for myself.”
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Jesse Morrison contributed to this article
