CORVALLIS- When Nick Moore announced his intent to join the Oregon State Football team, he had one goal in mind.
“I want to be known for me. Nick Moore. Not Matt Moore’s little brother anymore.”
#BeaverNation, help us welcome Nick Moore, I'Shawn Stewart and Braelen Bettles to the program.
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) April 3, 2018
Details: https://t.co/DJN0XyHCM3#GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/uFdHZcWcP8
At 6-foot-1-inch and 180 pounds, Nick isn’t the most sizable QB, but he brings athleticism to the Beavers as he’s played Wide Receiver, Safety, and Running Back. Along with that the name he brings with him is huge. One Beaver fans haven’t seen in almost 12 years. Coming out of Hart High School in Newhall, CA with 2,154 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions (while also rushing for 709 yards and 15 Touchdowns), Nick initially committed to Eastern Washington University in 2017, before transferring to Oregon State this past month and accepting a walk-on position.
“OSU has always been a place where I saw myself playing” said Nick.
Oregon State runs in the Moore bloodline, as Nick’s older brother, Matt, who last suited up in the orange and black in the 2006 season, was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention with over 3,000 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Matt now plays for the Miami Dolphins. 12 seasons later and Nick may carry the name, but he wants to make his own history. Once he arrived in Corvallis, he automatically started learning from his coaches and peers, one of which is Jake Luton.
“Jake has helped me with the playbook a little, he’s been doing this for a while so I try to pick his brain every day” said Nick.
Nick hops into a Quarterback race that includes Senior Jake Luton, coming off of a thoracic spine fracture that cut his season short at just 4 games, as well as JUCO transfer Jack Colletto, Freshman Jake Dukart and returning QBs Mason Moran and Conor Blount. NCAA transfer rules will force Nick to burn his redshirt, so he’ll use the down season to learn from others and get a feel for the Oregon State experience.
“(The off year) will definitely help me get right with the playbook, and will improve my overall game” added Nick.
Last time a Moore brother took the field for the Beavers, he set a then Sun Bowl record of four touchdowns and went 5-for-7 with 55 yards and a 2-point conversion on the final drive to seal a Beaver victory, 39-38. At the time, current Assistant Head Coach Mike Riley was leading the Beavers as the HC. Riley gets the opportunity to be apart of Jonathan Smith’s staff and share his knowledge with Nick as well as the other Quarterbacks today, a position that Coach Riley has sent to the NFL on more than five other occasions.
“Coach Smith got hired and put together an amazing staff and I knew that if i wanted to make a change, now was the time” added Nick.
For now, Nick is focused on learning and watching the team during spring practices, and will work continually throughout the year to get used to, in his words, “big time football”; a goal Nick has wished to reach since Pop Warner.
While fans will have to wait until 2019 to see Nick suit up in a game, they can watch the rest of the team all month for spring practice, culminating on April 28th with the annual spring game, an event free to the public.
Beaver fans may remember October 28th, 2006, the day the Beavers cemented their giant killers moniker by downing then #3 USC 33-31 at home. The field was flooded with orange and black, with fireworks sounding off and a very poised Matt Moore celebrating with coaches and fans alike. Now, only time will tell if the magic will run through the family but come 2019. Nick is poised to create his own legacy. Only time will tell if Nick can use his extreme athleticism to cause a storm in Corvallis, but the legacy resides in his blood, and he has every tool to solidify his own name in Beaver history.