Tyler Moore: Adjusting to the SEC

In 2011, Tyler Moore quickly set a record becoming the first true freshman offensive lineman to start a season opener for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Coinciding with such an honor, Moore had the most starts by a true freshman offensive lineman in Nebraska school history. Moore’s performance on the offensive line during his first season earned him All-Big Ten Freshman team honors by ESPN.

Moore was poised for a big 2012 campaign as the starting tackle but plans changed, and Moore decided he needed to transfer and play closer to home.

The four-time Nebraska legacy decided on Florida over Florida State and many penciled in Moore as a starter for the 2013 Florida Gators after sitting out the 2012 season at St. Petersburg Community College.

This spring gave Florida Gator fans have had there first opportunity to see Tyler Moore. The spring was also Moore’s first taste of life in the SEC.

“The defensive line is a lot better. We run a much different offense here than there (Nebraska). We run a high tempo. And, of course, (there is) a lot more talent in the SEC,” said Moore. He continued, “I think it’s a little more physical here because that is what we pride ourselves on.”

Moore seems to be adjusting well to the Florida Gators and seems to be embracing the coaching staff, as well as strength and conditioning Coach Jeff Dillman, “I like what Coach Dillman’s doing. I like how he does certain things in the warm-up that will help your body. And really work on explosive things everyday. Doing hand-cleans, power cleans, everything, so I’ve gotten a lot stronger just being here a couple of months.”

According to Moore, he is handling the transition just fine, “the first couple days, like learning new terms, was kind of a new thing because when we said one term at Nebraska, here it is a completely different term. Just learning new terms, the new playbook, it’s the same concepts. It’s not too bad, just picking up on the defenses because we ran different stuff at Nebraska.”

However, Moore knows that he still has to improve after taking six months off to prepare for the fall, “I’ve got a decent amount of stuff to work on. I’ve got to work on my hands get them inside a little bit better, footwork is also another thing. After just lifting and playing a little bit of basketball, and a run here and there, and not really doing any drills and taking a full six months off didn’t help.”

Going into summer practices, Moore knows that he can’t afford to take time off. Moore knows that he has the upper hand, “For all of us, like Hump (D.J. Humphries), Jon Harrison, Kyle Koehne and all those guys have been busting butt this year, they are way ahead of the guys that had to sit out the spring.” Moore continued, “We know we’ve got to work hard. It’s not just about beating someone out. It’s about being ready for the season.”

Finally, what is Moore expecting out of himself, “I hope to be All-Conference, at least, if not more.”

Daniel Thompson
Dan Thompson is a 2010 graduate of the University Florida, graduating with a degree in Economics and a degree in Political Science. During this time at UF, Dan worked three years for the Florida Gator Football team as a recruiting ambassador. Dan dealt daily with prospects, NCAA guidelines, and coaching staff. Dan was also involved in Florida Blue Key, Student Government and Greek Life. Currently, Dan oversees the IT consulting practice of a Tampa-based company. Dan enjoys golfing, country music, bourbon, travel, oysters, and a medium-rare steak. Dan can be found on Twitter at @DK_Thompson.