Previously: Last year’s profiles, K Adam Samaha, K James Turner (Tr), S Brandyn Hillman, CB DJ Waller, CB Cameron Calhoun, CB Jyaire Hill, HSP/LB Jason Hewlett, LB Hayden Moore, LB Semaj Bridgeman, LB Ernest Hausmann (Tr), OLB Breeon Ishmail, DE Aymeric Koumba, DE Enow Etta, DE Josaiah Stewart (Tr), DT Brooks Bahr, DT Cameron Brandt, DT Trey Pierce, OT Evan Link, OT Myles Hinton (Tr), OT LaDarius Henderson (Tr), OG Nathan Efobi, IOL Amir Herring, OC Drake Nugent (Tr), TE Deakon Tonielli, TE Zack Marshall, TE AJ Barner (Tr), WR Semaj Morgan

St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter), MO – 6'1"/176
		247: 6'0/175                             3.70*	3*, 89, NR overall #65 WR, #12 MO
		On3: 6'0/180                             3.44*	3*, 87, NR overall #126 WR, #19 MO
		Rivals: 6'1/159                             3.83*	4*, 5.8, NR overall #56 WR, #10 MO
		ESPN: 6'0/175                             3.44*	3*, 77, #214 Midlands #127 WR, #20 MO
		Composites                 3.85*/3.81*	3*, #520/#555 Ovr #72/81 WR, #13 MO
		MGoAverage                             3.65*	3*, #626/798 Ovr #74/85 WRs since '90
		YMRMFSPA	Ronnie Bell
Other Suitors	Illinois, MSU, Arkansas, Wisconsin
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello from the Future by Alex Drain
Notes	Early Enrollee.
Film:
Senior Highlights: Junior Highlights. Hudl. Underclass Combine. Pylon.

Receiver week continues with the one currently highest on the depth chart. To understand how Cardinal Ritter Prep went 14-0 last year, one doesn't have to look much further than the senior highlights of Fredrick Moore above. The ball would get into Moore's hands, yada yada yada, 1500 yards and 28 touchdowns. Though Moore has average height for a Power 5 receiver, he stops and starts like a jitterbug. So many of his highlights are simple wide receiver screens where he's slipping by kids trapped in trapped in slow-motion.

Since that was all happening in Missouri Class 3, nobody in the recruiting industry was quite sure how to take it. Some scouts were pointing to his track times to justify worries about his speed. Some talked about all the screens and broken tackles in his highlight reels. Others were excited about his contested catch abilities. Or his routes. Quite a few saw the words "Class 3 WR from Missouri that Michigan likes" and decided that's a Ronnie Bell.

Everyone saw the sub-180 weight and recruiting rankings, and figured Fredrick's name would behind Derrick's, Rod's, Sherrone's, Joe's and maybe even Hayden's in usage frequency before the word Moore. Then came spring ball, when Fredrick Moore was generating more hype than all but one of the early enrollees, and a spring game in which he started to undermine our Jyaire Hill excitement as well.

[After THE JUMP: He has the nicest routes.]

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Stops on a Dime/Bespoke Routes

Most, not all, of the scouts start with Moore's bespoke routes, or at least the potential for them. The feet were the first thing Darrius Clemons noticed about his new teammate.

And Fred—he can just stop and start really really good. He could be running full speed like 20 yards downfield, and he's like one step and he's like out of a comeback route. I imagine they'll say he don't got kneecaps. You know how they say Jerry Jeudy runs routes? Fred's got that trait.

We saw this in spring on Moore's catches underneath.

WR#82 bottom of the screen

Here too:

The lack of kneecaps explains why many of those who saw Moore in camps thought him impossible to cover. 247's Allen Trieu called him "impossible to stick with and a "quick, shifty route-runner who can carve up a defense" who will start eventually.

Name of the game with Moore is route running. Has very good lateral quickness and suddenness which allow him to create separation … game will be built much more on his craft and short area quickness than pure measureables.

Trieu's comp was to Russell Gage, a purveyor of bespoke routes with only okay speed.

Looking at Gage's NFL Combine numbers -- 6'0, 184, 4.50 forty -- that is about where we could see Moore coming out of college. He has carved out an NFL niche as a slot and is spoken highly of as far as craft and route-running and that fits the profile on Moore

Trieu also told Sam Webb that Moore the is best route runner of this year's receiver haul.

If you go to events and seven-on-sevens, in the one-on-ones he is carving people up with his route running and his short area quickness. He's one of those guys who has the natural skills with his feet, but also the understanding of how to create separation.

Clint Cosgrove and Adam Friedman gave Moore the Raised Stock Award after the Rivals Indy series in April 2022 because ROUTES.

We knew going into the camp that … Moore was underrated in our rankings, but he took it to a whole different level to show us how underrated he really was. Moore is a future star who showed an uncanny ability to gain separation from defensive backs with his fantastic route running. Look for Moore to get a rankings bump during our next rankings release.

The recruiting reporters, who tend to base their analyses more on highlight reels, saw the routes plus lots of broken tackles. Josh Henschke described a "'quick twitch’ receiver who "will rely on his technical route running and ability to create separation right off the line of scrimmage to make plays on intermediate routes."

Touch the Banner liked "his ability to run in- and out-breaking routes without losing too much speed" with a pretty out-there comparison:

His big plays are largely built on the craftiness of his route running, the space created by his offensive play designers, and his willingness to be daring, hit holes, and make something happen. In other words, he’s aggressive in the way he plays, which may not translate when opposing players are faster, stronger, and more savvy.

He reminds me a little bit – a little bit, so don’t get overly excited – of Steve Breaston with his gait, because he’s skinny and sometimes has that runnin’ bumblin’ stumblin’ look to him but still gets the job done. Moore will have to add some strength to his lower body to be able to translate some of those wobbly moments into a more solid running base.

TTB gave him a 68 so yeah, don't get too excited, but on the film the something outta nothing is hard to miss. EJ Holland:

The thing that caught my attention the most about Moore’s film is his vision in the open field. Moore takes several short passes and turns them into long touchdowns. He also takes a couple of punts and kicks back for scores.

These takes closely mirror that by startup Six-Star Football, and Moore himself says "my best attribute right now is route-running."

You'll note however that I said not everybody concurs. Before Moore's senior season Maize n Brew's Jonathan Simmons wrote that he only saw two routes: fades or screens, and Maize & Blue Review's Lucas Reimink agreed.

Right now, Moore is a marginal route runner because he lacks the explosiveness to make cuts quickly and lacks the technical route-running skills to be able to separate consistently in the short/intermediate areas of the field when he can’t just run by his defender. … To really make the most out of himself, he needs to improve his route running and agility in order to open up his ability to gain separation in the short/intermediate areas of the field and when playing against off coverage.

It's not the only disagreement.

Speed Questions

When Moore committed the main concern was he's not a burner. Sites that listed forty times gave him a 4.6. Many people noted that Moore ran an 11.55 in the 100 meters, and that his highlights lacked the standard run-bys. Reimink in particular wondered why DBs weren't panicked.

DB’s [sic] will just stay behind him and rally up to try and make the tackle once the ball is in the air.

Trieu said Moore "can threaten vertically some, but is not likely to consistently blow by defenders deep."

Moore had heard it all by the time he got to Michigan.

People may say that I’m slow, but I always get open. I don’t think speed was ever an issue for me. To the untrained eye, they really don’t know a lot.

And it's not like this was a consensus. People at the camps included "speed" among his attributes. Rivals' Adam Friedman for example.

After seeing three-star receiver Fredrick Moore, three-star defensive back Cameron Calhoun and four-star offensive lineman Paris Patterson, it's puzzling why they haven't gotten more national attention. … He has good size, soft hands and has great overall speed and explosiveness.

His head coach at Cardinal Ritter admitted it's a thing they'd been working on, which came up in multiple interviews.

Moore figured out how to turn that belief around by running literally every day. Running not just on the track at Cardinal Ritter, but also on the hills that overlook the football stadium while carrying weight plates on his back for resistance.

Right now, Moore's unofficial 40-yard time is 4.53 after finishing up the track season where he participated in the 400 meter event. Physically, he's looking to gain at least 15 more pounds of muscle while hopefully growing an inch or two. Moore has heard that his frame is similar to Andrel Anthony's when he committed back in 2021.

Sam Webb reported that Michigan noticed a big difference when he arrived.

Moore, specifically, has been catching the collective eye of coaches and players since he showed up for bowl prep back in December. That continued in winter conditioning when buzz about him being one of the fastest players on the team began to grow. …

That talk continued in practice last week after which one observer told me, “he’s running by everybody.

Trevor Keegan brought it up with Sam on a “Behind the Uniform” interview:

“Fred Moore is super fast,” said Keegan. “We were running another day and he was jogging. I think his jog was probably three miles per hour faster than my sprint. (Laughter). He's quick. I think he's got a bright future for sure. I think he was jogging like 19 miles per hour if I'm not mistaken. Like, high 18.5s.

Sam also got the story on the notorious sophomore 11.55 which…

came on a cold 35-40 degree day. And he didn’t run the 100 again, so that 11.55 time is what stuck.

Moore told Alejandro Zuniga that things have measurably changed.

I feel like I'm more explosive. Because I feel like I didn’t really know the ins and outs. I ran track, I was pretty good at track — running a 48 in a 400 and a 10.8 in a 100 — so I feel like I got faster, but also more explosive. Getting in and out of my breaks has gotten easier.

So that's good.

Is that Another Slot or Does He Go Outside?

The sense seems to be two-thirds outside receiver, one-third slot. Harbaugh described a guy who's "very explosive, very talented player with great ball skills." Reimink comped Moore to Ronnie Bell because "he’s solid to good in almost every area of WR play but doesn’t necessarily wow you in any one area of his game." EJ Holland also couldn't find a category that stood out.

On film, Moore is a good pass catcher, does a good job of high pointing the ball, shows good speed, good route running ability and looks good in both the slot and the outside. Good, good, good. Moore is good at everything but not great at any one thing.

TTB saw diversity in Moore's yardage, be it screens, deep flies, or 50/50s. Simmons thinks 6'0" isn't ideal for outside but admits Moore excels on the lower-quality passes you get when you're further from the snap.

he shows great body control and an ability to adjust to bad throws while in the presence of a defender. When running fades, Moore was good at beating press off the line and creating some separation down the field. But his quarterback wasn’t usually able to hit him in stride, which made Moore come back to the ball. He was able to adjust and get his body in position to come down with the catch.

Scouts and coaches along describe him as "long" or "lengthy" so the catch radius might be more than the usual 6-footer. Trieu admits there's "some room to add weight and strength" and thinks Moore will be a combo slot-outside guy like Bell, telling Sam Webb the production speaks for itself. Henschke and Clayton Safie also mention putting on weight, which sounds like it's coming from program insiders. Moore said he's currently playing Bell's old spot and also trying to get closer to Bell's size.

Right now, they got me at ‘Z.’ I kinda go in the slot and outside, so like a combo receiver. I can go in or out to get the matchups they need. I can beat a nickel, I can beat a linebacker and I can beat a corner. It’s really just putting my specialties at different positions

… Right now, I’m weighing 179, but I’m trying to get up to 189 during the season.

Don't Expect Him to Redshirt Though

There were rumors from insiders before the spring game, but after four catches on four targets for 41 yards in that thing, word got out that Moore is expected to make his way into the 12-man WR rotation.

The more we hear about Moore, the more confidence we have that he will burn his redshirt and play this fall.

Moore told Zuniga to expect him on special teams regardless, and that he's already practicing at punt returner.

Another Captain-y Type

Trieu noted Moore is "cut from the same cloth" as class captain Semaj Moore. Harbaugh gushed,

he’s one of my favorite guys. Now I always point to a favorite guy—Fredrick’s one of them. You know, you just bond with some guys and Fred was all about work. It’s all about business.

…and told Alejandro that as soon as he arrived Moore was running from the team hotel (on Huron Street) to the football facility to get in a mile run before breakfast which: 1) makes me hate my skipped-my-9am-class-often-because-MoJo-was-so-far-away-from-the-MLB college self even more, and 2) is a point for the people who praised his routes because my first day on campus I got lost downtown and ended up at the Fleetwood.

Unlike with Morgan, Reimink noted a willingness and even aptitude for run blocking.

his toughness translates well to this aspect of his game. He shows a solid ability to lock onto opposing DB’s when tasked with blocking them and is always looking to throw the big block to free up a teammate for extra yardage.

Though of course that will get better with size.

Etc. Was teammates with 2024 5-star target Ryan Wingo. Can punt in a pinch. Harbaugh adds a few more #funfacts.

His mom’s a train conductor like my grandfather, Bill Harbaugh. Family has been a huge influence on him. … A big collector of shoes, especially Jordans. Which we happen to have a lot of! Just fun. He’s a fun, super guy.

Why Ronnie Bell? Because he's an insanely productive Missouri who-dat receiver who's sized between a slot and an outside guy, returns punts, runs gorgeous routes, and arrived a zillion times fast than advertised with a will to block.

Guru Reliability: Low. Moore got to a few camps but played against third-rate Show-Me State competition and the people who saw him at those camps were like "Seems like a 4-star, let's rank him right below that." Except Rivals moved him just over their (slightly more generous) 4-star border so I couldn't use him as the Sleeper of the Class. Jerks.

Variance: Medium. Is the jury still out on his speed? Because if not we've got a pretty good idea of what he'll become. I'm going to leave some doubt since it's just spring takes on an early enrollee at this point.

Ceiling: High-minus. This could be a step down if you think Ronnie Bell was a fine chap but not a true difference-maker, or a step up if you think that guy was a bona fide Dude who's going to surprise people in the NFL. I'm splitting the difference to avoid the argument. The talk about playing him immediately when they have a relatively deep receiver corps already says they think they've got something here.

Flight Risk Level: Medium-low. It looks like he'll be getting plenty of playing time. The talk about not redshirting however is a bit of a red flag—guys who expect to get on the field early here often get disappointed. It doesn't seem like a huge concern with Moore, but this section exists to mention such things.

General Excitement Level: High. +1 for 28 touchdowns in a season I don't care against whom, +1 for they're already talking him up, +1 for bespoke routes are often (not always) a good sign, +1 for talk of attacking the ball is also one of those underrated signs, –1 for has to gain a lot of weight, –1 for speed concerns ewwwww, +1 for I think those have been addressed.

Projection: I had an inkling after spring that we're in for a few "Moore than he seems" puns in the next three to five years. A guy who can get open is a guy who's going to get on the field, and the speed concerns that were probably holding back the obvious Ronnie Bell comparisons seem well behind him now. Take away the One Thing We Were Worried About and…yeah. Good hands, good attitude, good approach…that equals good. We're not talking about a superstar, but All-Big Ten as a senior while leading the team in receiving for one or two years seems well within reach, especially given the way Michigan plays.

Michigan only has a few touted receivers ahead of him, and don't seem to be bringing in another DPJ in 2024, so the decks should clear and Moore seems like the first guy in his class in line to play. His utility as a blocker and as a wide receiver who can convert to slot is a better fit for Michigan's offense than his more slot-bound classmates.

Expect a year of garbage time snaps with only a handful of targets, and some special teams usage, enough that he burns his redshirt. Next year Johnson and Wilson are probably gone, and the 2023 class gets to be the backups to Clemons/Morris/O'Leary. Moore is ranked so closely to Morgan that it makes no difference, but as of this moment he's at the head of his class, with the only scholarship guy separating the afore mentioned and them being Cristian Dixon. Moore's going to play here.