Tag: trey moore

Kelvin Banks Jr., Trey Moore selected to Lombardi Award watch list

On the Lombardi Award watch list, two Longhorns made the cut in Kelvin Banks Jr. and Trey Moore

With the start of the 2024 campaign quickly approaching, the Texas Longhorns have been heavily involved in preseason award watch lists. On the Lombardi Award watch list, two Longhorns made the cut in Kelvin Banks Jr. and Trey Moore. The award is given to the college football offensive or defensive lineman who displays outstanding performance and ability and best exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi.

Following a stellar 2023 campaign, Banks is in the running for the Lombardi Award for the second straight year. Last season, he appeared in 14 games for the Longhorns at left tackle. The Texas native helped the Longhorns’ offense thrive and opened holes for running backs Jonathan Brooks, who recorded 1,158 rushing yards, and CJ Baxter, who recorded 659 yards. While Banks does not show up on the stat sheet, he was a big part of the offense’s success.

Joining Banks on the list is Moore, who is eager to prove himself after transferring to Texas. Last season, he recorded 45 total tackles, including 30 solo stops for UTSA. Due to his play, Moore was named the 2023 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and recognized on the AAC first-team. With the San Antonio native in the mix, the Longhorns defense has added another special player.

While the talented duo will focus on helping the Longhorns rack up wins, they will also be looking to etch their way into the record books. The last Texas player to win the Lombardi Award was Brian Orakpo in 2008. Nine other players in program history have been finalists including Justin Blalock (2006), Rodrique Wright (2005), Derrick Johnson (2004), and Cory Redding (2002).

As the 2024 campaign plays out, this will be one storyline to watch.

NFL draft analyst projects one Longhorn defender among underrated prospects

Texas edge Trey Moore receiving high praise from NFL scouts ahead of first year with the Longhorns

After spending the first three years of his collegiate career with the UTSA Roadrunners, edge rusher [autotag]Trey Moore[/autotag] will have a new home in Austin with the Texas Longhorns for the 2024 season.

This past season, Moore set the UTSA single-season sack record with 14 as well as previously setting the single-season tackles for loss record back in 2022 with 18.

Moore led the way for the UTSA defense with 45 total tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and batted down three passes on his way to being named the 2023 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC.

With the Longhorns, Moore will be the primary pass rusher in Pete Kwiatkowski’s 4-2-5 defense and will have the sole responsibility of just going after the quarterback, which he has clearly proven he can do.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller thinks that Moore will be a massive piece for Steve Sarkisian’s squad next season as he projects (subscription required) him as one of the most under-the-radar players from the upcoming 2025 NFL draft class.

“The 6-3, 235-pound junior has excellent first-step quickness and speed around the corner,” Miller wrote. “That allowed him to post 14 sacks last season after having eight in his first year as a starter in 2022. One AFC scout who covers the state of Texas compared him to 247-pound edge rusher Dallas Turner, who went No. 17 overall to the Vikings in the 2024 draft. Size concerns and a jump in competition are something to watch for Moore, but his burst off the snap is special. He ranked fourth in the FBS in pressure rate last season (19.2%), just behind Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. (20.1%), who my colleague Jordan Reid had at No. 4 overall in his debut 2025 mock draft. With Texas moving to the SEC and facing a road game at Michigan, Moore will have the chance to prove himself early in the season.”

LonghornsWire will continue to monitor Moore’s draft stock throughout the 2024 season.

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What the Texas portal haul means for its 2024 football season

There is little doubt Texas has improved tremendously through the transfer portal.

The Texas Longhorns have built a powerhouse through the transfer portal. After losing 11 players to the NFL draft and some to the portal, the team has filled most if not all needs with impact players and starters.

In the current portal haul the Longhorns have added six top 150 portal additions. Four of the six are pass catchers, Isaiah Bond, Amari Niblack, Matthew Golden and Silas Bolden. The haul solidifies a receiver room that has three underclassmen of five-star or blue chip caliber primed to break out in Johntay Cook, DeAndre Moore and Ryan Wingo.

Below is the team’s portal haul.

Name Position Team Portal rank
Isaiah Bond Wide Receiver Alabama No. 4
Trey Moore Edge UTSA No. 23
Andrew Mukuba Safety Clemson No. 29
Amari Niblack Tight End Alabama No. 31
Matthew Golden Wide Receiver Houston No. 50
Silas Bolden Wide Receiver Oregon State No. 134
Tiaoali Savea Defensive Tackle Arizona No. 449
Bill Norton Defensive Tackle Arizona No. 469
Jay’Vion Cole Cornerback San Jose State No. 482
Jermayne Lole Defensive Tackle Louisville No. 868

It should come as no surprise that the Longhorns are projected to make the playoff in 2024 after reaching it a season ago. Texas proved its mettle in a 10-point road shellacking of Alabama. Now it looks to prove consistent over a two-year stretch. It has the players to come in and make similar things happen in the upcoming season.

In the Longhorns’ transfer class are six proven starters. Outside of those six, Tiaoalii Savea, Bill Norton and Jermayne Lole will battle for the starting spot opposite popular breakout pick in defensive tackle Alfred Collins. One has to feel good about one of Savea, Norton and Lole emerging as a quality starting option at the end of camp.

Jay’Vion Cole comes over from San Jose State with speed and ball hawking ability having intercepted seven passes over the last two seasons. He will need to prove he’s big enough to carve a role on the field, but has the potential to battle Gavin Holmes for the field cornerback spot opposite boundary cornerback Malik Muhammad and nickel corner Jahdae Barron.

The addition of UTSA transfer edge Trey Moore, who has 22.0 sacks in two combined seasons as starter, bolsters an already strong edge rush led by Ethan Burke, Barryn Sorrell and spring standout Colton Vasek.

The team isn’t perfect by any stretch, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Texas looks to have enough proven talent, particularly at offensive line, wide receiver and edge, to overwhelm opposition.

As it stands now, the Longhorns have the No. 5 portal class in college football. SEC portal classes that have earned Top 25 classes rank as follows: Ole Miss takes the No. 1 ranking followed by No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Texas, No. 10 Florida, No. 14 South Carolina, No. 16 Missouri, No. 17 Georgia, No. 20 Oklahoma and No. 21 Kentucky.

Having put together three strong recruiting classes and revamped in the portal, Texas looks primed for another strong season in 2024.

Texas’ Trey Moore more prolific than Buffalo’s Khalil Mack in sacks

Texas edge Trey Moore was more dominant in the Group of Five than former Top 5 pick Khalil Mack. Still unsure it translates to the SEC?

Some believe Group of Five production doesn’t translate to major college football. Sometimes it doesn’t, but sometimes it does.

One lower level player’s college stardom spelled success at the NFL level. Former University of Buffalo star Khalil Mack followed dominance in college football to the NFL and a Top 5 pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

Mack put up impressive stats in his time at Buffalo. Here’s a look at his college career.

Year Total tackles Tackles for loss Sacks
2010 68 14.5 4.5
2011 65 20.5 5.5
2012 94 21.0 8.0
2013 100 18.5 10.5

Objectively, Mack was a force at Buffalo and a better overall player than Texas edge Trey Moore has been in two seasons at UTSA. When it comes to sacking opposing quarterbacks, Moore has been better.

Khalil Mack’s best sack total for a season at the college level was 10.5 sacks in his fourth year. Trey Moore averaged more sacks (11.0) than Mack’s career best year in two seasons as a starter at UTSA. The former Roadrunner totaled eight sacks in his first season of extended playing time in San Antonio. He put up 14 sacks in 2023. That’s 22 sacks in two seasons.

Some think Moore’s production won’t translate for the Longhorns next season. Where they get their certainty in that belief is unsure, but the confidence is certainly unfounded.

Sacks are sacks. It would be surprising if Moore amassed 14 sacks again in 2024, but all signs point to him being a force for the Longhorns. Group of Five production translated for Khalil Mack at the professional level. The upcoming season will reveal whether or not Moore can make an impact for the Texas defense in the SEC.

Texas’ Trey Moore ranked the No. 2 edge rusher in the state

Trey Moore trails only Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton.

One of Texas’ biggest offseason additions came via the transfer portal in UTSA edge Trey Moore. Continue reading “Texas’ Trey Moore ranked the No. 2 edge rusher in the state”

Musical Chairs: The toughest Texas position battle for 2024

Texas has two starting positions for three plus starters on defense.

The Texas edge rushing room is loaded in 2024. In fact, it’s so loaded that out of three potential all-conference talents one will start games on the bench.

The room starts with Barryn Sorrell who was the lone certainty at the position group an offseason ago. Sorrell led the Texas pass rush with 5.5 sacks in 2022 and was a good player for the team last season with four more sacks for the year.

Among other returning players is Ethan Burke who broke out early last season. Burke put up sacks against Rice and Alabama to start the year before finishing with 5.5 sacks of his own. Albeit, it’s his closing speed and ability to make the shoestring tackle on potential explosive runs that carves some of the most value from the edge position.

Then there’s the addition of Trey Moore who is being billed as perhaps the best player on the team by one source. While there’s some concern as to whether or not his 14 sack season and 22 career sacks at UTSA will transfer to major college football, reports from offseason workouts make one wonder if those concerns are valid.

We haven’t yet mentioned five-star freshman Colin Simmons who comes in looking to make an immediate impact. Justice Finkley, Colton Vasek, Tausili Akana and J’Mond Tapp are among the others looking to make a splash.

Texas has as difficult a decision in who to start at edge as it has anywhere else. That said, it won’t lack for quality depth in 2024. While it’s uncertain who will start at the position, expect heavy rotation and perhaps without much drop off from starter to backup.

Texas edge Trey Moore viewed as ‘Top 3 player on the team’

Trey Moore has emerged as one of the top players for Texas this offseason.

UTSA transfer Trey Moore is making an impression over the offseason. The edge rusher is viewed as one of the top players on the Texas roster by some.

Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin spoke of one source from practice who says Moore has the team’s respect. Nahlin said the following of the edge rusher in early offseason activity.

“The sentiment on the team is, if you watched the last six weeks of workouts, he’s one of the two or three best players on the team, maybe even the best player on the team.

We know he’s extremely explosive, works very hard, quiet, puts his head down, still works like he has a chip on his shoulder coming from UTSA.”

Moore made waves in San Antonio putting up 14 sacks last season for the UTSA Roadrunners. It was a testament to skill and higher work ethic than his peers.

The UTSA edge was not given a star rating out of high school. Now he’s considered not only a starter caliber player but a potential star for the Longhorns in the SEC. Time will tell what role he plays on the team, but the defensive line could be stronger than expected if the report is any indication.

Texas ranks No. 7 in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings

Despite a small portal class, the Texas Longhorns have the No. 7 team portal ranking per 247Sports.

The transfer portal is as active as it has been in its short existence. The Texas Longhorns are one of the teams most taking advantage of the portal.

Despite just a handful of portal additions, the Longhorns rank No. 7 in the country in team portal rankings per 247Sports.

The team’s portal class goes includes safety Andrew Mukuba (Clemson), wide receiver Matthew Golden (Houston), edge rusher Trey Moore (UTSA), wide receiver Isaiah Bond (Alabama), linebacker Kendrick Blackshire (Alabama), wide receiver Silas Bolden (Oregon State) and tight end Amari Niblack (Alabama).

Two teams from the Longhorns’ new conference top the portal list. Ole Miss, who transformed its starting lineup with several impact additions ranks as No. 1 in the portal rankings. Texas A&M, who filled several roster vacancies out of need, added 23 players through the portal.

Oregon, Florida State and Colorado round out the top five teams in the portal class. Teams will look to capitalize on their portal additions in 2024.

Bleacher Report predicts Texas EDGE Trey Moore to have All-American impact

Trey Moore could be a difference maker for the Longhorns in 2024.

Texas landed several of the highest rated players in the transfer portal this offseason. Continue reading “Bleacher Report predicts Texas EDGE Trey Moore to have All-American impact”

Texas has two of the Top 10 transfers in the SEC according to On3 Sports

Texas’ transfer portal haul stacks up with the best of the SEC.

The Texas Longhorns are reloading in the transfer portal. Another sporting outlet is taking notice of the team’s strong portal haul. Continue reading “Texas has two of the Top 10 transfers in the SEC according to On3 Sports”