Friday, September 14, 2007 | Football
By Kate Manly, UF Sports Information
Much has been made of the difficulty in replacing the University of Florida football team's class of 2006, but some players are viewing it differently. Of course it was hard to see them go, but for every position that needed to be filled, there was an eager player competing for the job. A case in point is junior running back Kestahn Moore. According to his coaches and fellow players, 2007 may be the breakout year that Moore and Gator fans have been waiting for.
As a running back at Mansfield Summit High School, Moore was one of the most highly-touted players in Texas and ranked 29th among running backs in the country according to Scout.com. Moore immediately impressed head coach Urban Meyer and Stan Drayton, Florida's running backs coach. His strong work ethic and performance on the field paid off.
As a true freshman, Moore started the first five games at running back in 2005. Although he appeared in all 12 games, DeShawn Wynn took over for Moore as the Gators' starting tailback halfway through the season. Still, Moore finished the 2005 season with 277 rushing yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Although statistically Moore was just as impressive in his sophomore season as his first with the Gators, he had lost the starting position once again to Wynn. Drayton believed Moore's play was inconsistent in 2006, especially mid-season, when he fumbled three times in 22 carries. However, no one was less impressed with his play than Moore himself. He knew his downfalls and what changes needed to made in order to be a contender to replace Wynn in 2007. Coach Meyer reinforced those very same things for Moore.
"During my freshman year, Coach Meyer saw a lot of potential in me," Moore said. "Last year, Wynn had most of the carries because Coach really didn't see as much intensity from me as my freshman year."
With Wynn graduated and moved on to the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, Moore focused on two things: putting forth more of an effort on the field and becoming more of a leader. He knew that working hard would not be a problem, but becoming a vocal leader might prove more challenging.
"I was just always taught that anything you do, you do it with the most effort," Moore said. "From my mom, to my dad, to my whole family, they brought me up to be a hard worker in everything."
Moore also applies that attitude in the classroom. A sport management major, he was selected to the 2005 SEC Freshman Honor Roll and to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2006.
Armed with the knowledge that he must show more intensity on the field to secure the starting slot, Moore focused on an entirely new position – a vocal leader.
"This year, I am learning to be vocal in a group," says Moore. "As a team leader, I am very quiet. I don't really like to talk that much and usually keep to myself. By stepping onto the field and working as hard as I can, it can show my teammates the way."
Although Moore considers himself more of a leader by example, Coach Drayton can see him transitioning and becoming more vocal.
"Now he's grabbing some young guys by the horns and saying, 'Hey, this is the way we do it, this is the way I expect it to be done,'" says Drayton. "He's got more mental focus on (being a leader) and more pride in it."
Entering spring practice, the position of starting tailback was up for grabs. However, it didn't take long for Moore to impress the coaching staff with his talent. Meyer declared Moore as the best tailback of the spring without question, even after he was forced to sit out the last couple weeks of practice due to a sports hernia. In addition to the final weeks of spring practice, Moore had to watch this year's Orange and Blue Debut from the sidelines. Still, Coach Drayton found Moore to be the missing link in a sometimes inconsistent running back corps.
"He's hungry," says Drayton. "That is what has been missing in that group, a hungry, passionate demeanor of someone trying to be the best he can be."
After Moore's coaches and fellow players took notice of his growth and maturity, Meyer and Drayton named him the starting running back for the 2007 season. Coach Meyer made it clear that Moore wasn't just going to be a fill-in when the receivers needed a breather, but he is going to have the opportunity to show his skills on the field as much as possible.
"He's prepared himself to have a great year and I'll be crushed like he will be if he doesn't succeed," says Meyer. "He's faster and more mature than he's ever been and I'm really excited about him."
With high expectations for peak performance, Moore will have a lot to prove. After enduring two years of highs and lows, Moore recognizes that this year is his year to step up. After earning a newfound leadership position in the locker room and displaying his consistent hard work on the practice field, Moore has just one more place to conquer—The Swamp.
-UF-
