Since making the switch from safety to linebacker this offseason, senior RJ Moten has found a larger role for the Gators in 2024. The 6-0, 229-pound linebacker had one of his best games of the season against the Knights last weekend, recording a season high five total tackles, 0.5 TFL and his first sack of the season. Through five games this season, Moten has recorded 18 total tackles (9 solo), 2 TFL, 0.5 sacks and 1 PBU across 114 snaps.
“I have always wanted to play linebacker actually, but I think I knew going into the next level I was definitely going to move to linebacker, but it was just one day where Coach Armstrong was, like, ‘you’re getting too big’…I was like 230 at one point. He was like, ‘okay, we’re not going to put you in the post anymore in the SEC,” Moten said on his position change.
RJ Moten’s father, Ronald, played linebacker at Florida back in 1980 and was ecstatic about his son’s position change.
“He was very happy. I think too it was kind of just like now it’s really like I’m following his footsteps,” Moten said on his father and the position change. “I came to this school. I was playing safety at first, but now I’m playing linebacker. My dad played wheel. I’m playing wheel now. He was for sure happy.”
Moten recorded his first sack of the season last weekend on a play he saw several times in practice leading up to Florida’s matchup against the Knights. With nearly perfect execution, linebacker Jaden Robinson was able to help Moten get exactly where he needed to be.
“So basically shout-out Jaden Robinson really because I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him because he’s got to occupy the center in order for me to give him that little push,” Moten said. “Kind of just I was just — we ran it all practice, and I think every time at practice that we ran it, I wasn’t the one getting the sack. It was always like the Mike linebacker who I’m picking for. Yeah, basically just got the pick, and then it wasn’t like a shock or anything. I just came off the center, and now it’s like, go get paid, so yeah.”
Last season, Moten saw action in just six games as a safety due to an injury he suffered against Vanderbilt. Through all the ups and downs, Moten knew his time would eventually come.
“It definitely is exciting. I think last year there were ups and downs. Obviously broke my hand. Had five pins in my hand last year. That was, like I said, God’s way of saying, sit down, it’s not your time,” Moten said on his injury. “That’s kind of something, like, playing college football I had to understand, especially coming from Michigan and everything like that. That’s kind of something like I try to tell some of my teammates as well. If it’s not their time right now, just be happy for the guy in front of you. I was genuinely happy for Bryce. Bryce ended up playing real early last year. Shoot, Miguel, Jordan, all them. Just being able to watch them chase their dreams. I knew my time was coming.”
RJ Moten has logged the 4th-most snaps at linebacker for the Gators (114 snaps) in 2024. Jaden Robinson, Grayson Howard and Shemar James are the three other linebackers with the most snaps recorded. It’s clear that Moten belongs at linebacker and that’s beginning to show as we begin to approach the halfway point of the 2024 season.