Countdown to Kickoff: DeAndre Moore Jr.

USA Today

13 hours ago

DeAndre Moore Jr. walks into the 2025 season looking at a massively expanded role both on and off the field. Will he live up to lofty comparisons to former Longhorn Jordan Whittington?
We continue counting down to the Longhorn football season and this time, we are finally in the month where this thing kicks off. Plenty still to get around this team, and today it's all about DeAndre Moore Jr. A guy that I've felt has been lost in the mess that is the Texas WR room, where so much of the talk is about Ryan Wingo or the new additions. DeAndre Moore Jr might be under-talked about outside the facilities, but inside, he is one of the most important players on the team.
2024 Stats: 39 catches, 456 yards, 7 TDs, 11.7 yards/catch
Coming off a year where he was placed in a lesser role because of the emergence of Matthew Golden, Moore is ready to be the leader in this room. He had a very up and down 2024, with two games with multiple TDs(one of which was against Mississippi State with Arch starting), but also had multiple one catch games.
Going into 2025, he will be asked to do much more in this offense and as we have seen, when that slot WR can get going, this offense is as good as there is in the country. DeAndre will also carry the bulk of the leadership responsibility in this room. He is the only WR on the roster that is not in his first or second year. This lends credence to his nickname as of late: Jordan Whittington Jr.
Whittington is one of the most beloved Longhorns during the Sarkisian era. Moore has been thrust into that leadership role that Whittington had, but the unique skill set also encourages the comparison. He is a very professional route runner and working out of the slot, is a massive threat for big time plays. This is a big reason I think Moore would thrive with #16 under center this year.
The pitch and catch between Arch and DeAndre in the Mississippi State game is one of the best plays of the 2024 Texas season. It is also a play that was not utilized nearly as much going forward with Quinn at QB. This is something that Moore has backed up, saying in media availability yesterday that Arch's pass has more 'zip' than Quinn's do, along with a comment about Arch's added running dimension. That is very clear to see for anyone, but I think it opens so many doors for Moore's role in this offense.
While it's very fair to say Ryan Wingo will be the leading receiver on this team, I think we will find DeAndre Moore is as important of a piece. That is, in part, due to the fact that he is the best blocking WR on the team, and in Sarkisian's offense, if you can't block at WR, you can't play. Moore is someone that is not being talked about enough right now, but also the guy that does not worry much about that.
On a Texas team that is defined by the amount of change and youth, guys like DeAndre Moore Jr. become that much more important. I expect a huge year from the Texas slot receiver and I don't expect the comparisons to Jordan Whittington to stop anytime soon. As great as Moore will be, Ryan Wingo will be the WR1 for this group and we will jump into the talented sophomore tomorrow. We will break down why I think this will be a huge season for Wingo and the reason he could join Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams among the elite WRs in the country.
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