Huge physical transformation aiding Michigan football edge rusher

The position battle at edge rusher for the Maize and Blue is ongoing, with a number of impressive players starting to truly stand out during fall camp. One such standout is sophomore Michigan football edge rusher Derrick Moore, who dropped an impressive 21 pounds ahead of the coming season. For Moore and the Wolverines, it appears that these changes could bolster his performance this year in a big way.

Michigan football edge rusher using new frame to his advantage

Over the long offseason, Michigan football edge rusher Derrick Moore managed to drop an impressive 21 pounds, making him slimmer, faster, and more agile ahead of the coming coming college football season. For the Wolverines, who have seen a lot of turnover since last season, yet boast plenty of talent and depth off the edge, this is great news.

“I feel way better,” Moore said. “I feel quicker, faster, more twitchy, more explosive. I don’t feel (weaker or) anything, I just feel way, way better than I felt in the last year … Last year, I focused a lot (on) power. So I think going into the spring game, I kind of just sort of focused on more speed and let my power set it up.”

Derrick Moore gearing up for a breakout season

According to the team’s roster page, Derrick Moore now stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 258 pounds — he may be smaller than he was a season ago, but Moore is still a large human being. This gives the sophomore Michigan football edge rusher plenty of options when attacking the edge and getting after the quarterback.

“… Going into camp, I’m setting up my rush stuff. My bull rush, like, I’ll bull rush, and then I’ll play off-speed with it. So I’ve been just trying to like set all my pass rushes and getting like — especially having the guys that I have in my room. So I’m the youngest edge guy in my room. So having guys like Jaylen (Harrell), Braiden (McGregor), Josaiah (Stewart), just having them guys in my ears telling me like, ‘Ya know, you need to do this, you need to do that, you need to do that,’ and like how to set up and game plan my pass rushes, having them guys has been helping and just working for me.”

Taking the next step

Last year, as a true freshman, Derrick Moore appeared in all 14 games for the Wolverines, recording eight tackles, two sacks, and more. This year, with a new frame and a larger role, the sophomore Michigan football edge rusher is looking to have a breakout year and boost the Wolverines to a third-straight Big Ten title. For Moore, taking the next step starts with having the confidence to do so.

“I will say the biggest difference is my confidence,” Moore said. “I feel like last year I just wasn’t as much confident, coming in as a freshman and you’re playing you thinking like, ‘Oh, if I mess up, I’m probably never gonna get back on the field.’ So now this year, I just feel more confident, you know? I want my teammates to be able to have my trust to go out and perform — even if I mess up, if I could come back and redo it the next play and just be there for my team, that’s all I really have going into this year.”

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