In 2022, Derrick Moore weighed in close to 280 pounds as a true freshman standout along the defensive line. Now, the Michigan football sophomore edge rusher is down to 258 pounds and is using a combination of experience, new moves, power, and more to propel a potential breakout year this fall.
Michigan football sophomore edge rusher poised for a breakout year
Over the past ten years, the Michigan football program has produced some truly elite pass rushers — most recently, star players like Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Mike Morris displayed their talents in Ann Arbor, winning Big Ten titles and more along the way. This year, the Wolverines have a good amount of turnover among the pass-rushing corps, yet still, appear to be in good hands.
As a freshman in 2022, Derrick Moore stood out as one of the Wolverines’ future stars — he recorded eight tackles, a pair of sacks, a few quarterback hurries, and a pas deflection, all while seeing action in every one of Michigan’s 14 games last fall. This year, with a smaller, more agile frame, Moore is looking to optimize his opportunities and is gunning hard for a starting role along the Wolverines’ impressive defensive line.
“From last year, I was 20 pounds heavier — I was like, 280,” Derrick Moore explained when asked about his notable physical transformation. “I want to say this year I’ve been taking more care of my body, putting the right things in my body, eating more protein and vegetables, getting more sleep, stuff like that. … I thought it was important because I talked to a lot of my coaches about it, I talked with Abigail (O’Connor) about it, and we talked a lot about it. I just want to be more fast and explosive coming off the ball, and she helped me write up a meal prep plan, and I just stuck to it.”
Derrick Moore is lighter, and that is a good thing for the Wolverines’ defense
Dropping a whopping 21 pounds from year one to year two in Ann Arbor is going to force Derrick Moore to change his game up a bit. What used to be a power-centered bull rush may quickly turn into a lightning-fast rush to the quarterback — this is not an easy transition to make, but one that Moore seems to be handling just fine.
“So last year, I focused a lot on power,” Derrick Moore said on Friday. “So I think going into the spring game, I kind of decided to focus on more speed and let my power set it up. But now, going into camp, I’ve been setting up the rest of my stuff with my bull rush. I’ll bull rush, and then I’ll play off speed with it. So I’ve been trying to set up my pass rushes. Especially having the guys that have been in my room — I’m the youngest edge guy in my room. So having guys like Jaylen (Harrell), Braiden (McGregor), Josaiah (Stewart), just having those guys in my ear telling me, ‘Yeah, you need to do this, or you need to do that,’ and how to set up and game plan my pass rushes having those guys helping has been working for me.”
Youth and ambition are a good combination
While Moore may be one of the youngest defenders on the roster this year, that has not stopped him from gaining the confidence needed to take the next step.
“I would say the biggest difference is my confidence. I feel like last year, I wasn’t as much confident. You come in as a freshman, and you’re playing, you’re thinking like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna mess up. How are you gonna get back on the field?’ So now, this year, I just feel more confident. I want my teammates to be able to help my strengths to go out and perform. Even if I mess up, if I can come back and rejoin the next play and be there for my team, that’s alright.
“Yeah, you for sure have to be confident (to pull off certain finesse moves),” Moore continued. “When you pass rush, you’ve got to have your move ready. Plus, you’ve got to have a move that you want to hit and say that move doesn’t work, you’ve got to have a counter. So now you’ve got to have your go-to move, and you’re counter move. So you’ve got to be confident in all of your moves.”
Heading into the coming season, which kicks off in just 13 days, keep an eye on Michigan football sophomore edge rusher Derrick Moore as he looks to become the next great edge rusher in Ann Arbor, MI.
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