Photo Credit: Deseret News
AJ Moore
Murrieta Valley High School | Murrieta, CA
5-9 | 200 lbs | 4.45 | RB
Before BYU: Remember AJ Moore? It has been over 4 years since Moore initially committed to the Cougars back on May 20th, 2009, and many BYU fans may have forgotten about this golden running back prospect out of Murrieta, CA. Moore, who recently returned from his mission in New York, is anxious to play football once again after a long hiatus.
AJ Moore prepped at Murrieta Valley High School and led the Nighthawks in several offensive categories, scoring 30 touchdowns combined during his junior and senior year, rushing for 1,961 yards and added 1,246 yards receiving. During high school, Moore was selected as the NFL’s initial Legacy Project Athlete and was mentored by NFL Hall of Famer Ron Yary.
At the BYU non-padded camp in the summer of 2009, Moore was selected as the best running back among all the participants as well as the 3rd best defensive back. After high school graduation, Moore enrolled in school at BYU and redshirted for the 2010 season. Moore was also recruited by Boise State, Washington, UNLV, UCLA, Arizona, Fresno State, and San Diego State.
Based on his highlights, it appears that AJ Moore is the all-around back that BYU has been searching for since Harvey Unga. He has the necessary speed, agility, quickness, power, and athleticism to adapt to Robert Anae’s offense. His explosion and aggressive nature once he touches the ball is exactly what we want to see in Anae’s scheme. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, run the ball to the outside, run the ball up the middle, and has tremendous breakaway speed.
Expectations in 2013: 3rd String Running Back
With the return of Jamal Williams and Michael Alisa, we don’t anticipate AJ Moore to see much playing time or get many touches this year in the backfield. We have to remind ourselves that Moore hasn’t played football in nearly four years, and with the returning experience at running back, the 2013 season may be a good time for AJ to learn the offense and get back into demands of the football lifestyle.
Potential in BYU career: Moderate
The good news is that AJ Moore has 4 years of football to play in Provo. We anticipate that Jamal Williams will be the slated starter at running back for at least 3 of those 4 years, granted he doesn’t leave school early for the NFL. Moore, however, will be a tremendous asset to compliment Williams and fellow running back Adam Hine for the next few seasons. Moore has all the potential to have a terrific career as a BYU running back, and we anticipate the Cougars to have one of the strongest backfields that the school has ever seen in the next few years. Stay tuned for some exciting football from this kid and the rest of the BYU ball carriers.