With classes beginning for all Hoya students, training camp is winding up for the Georgetown football team, which is preparing for its weekend opener against Davidson. Last season ended in disappointment, when the Hoyas lost their last game to Lehigh and failed in their ultimate goal of winning the Patriot league. A major key in getting to the top of the standings this year is going to be their defensive play, in which senior cornerback and kick returner Jeremy Moore plays an invaluable role.
Moore is a defensive back who won the starting job at cornerback as a sophomore. Before arriving at Georgetown, though, he was a letter winner in both basketball and football, and his three years of varsity basketball culminated with a McDonald’s All-American nomination in his senior year. He experimented with track during his senior year as well, competing as a jumper on the James Hillhouse High School squad.
When it came time to decide which sport to pursue in college, though, Moore committed to Georgetown as a top football recruit. He had been named to the First Team All Area, All Conference, and All State lists in Connecticut after recording phenomenal senior season numbers. That isn’t to say that his days as a track athlete and basketball player are completely behind him; many of the aspects of his other two sports have carried over into the way he plays football.
“Even to this day, some of the drills I did back when I was jumping, high jumping and long jumping, I still do them now,” Moore said. “With basketball, the instincts, the know-how, the technique involved in basketball, that’s aided me…thus far.”
Returning for the current season, Moore has some impressive numbers to live up to. He was named to the First Team All Patriot League last season as both a cornerback and return specialist. His four interceptions with a total of 178 return yards matched the second highest in the Georgetown football program’s history. In the final game last year, he had four kick-off returns for a total of 153 yards, one of which was a 70-yard return.
To keep up his peak fitness over the summer, Moore set up a workout schedule of his own, which included self-imposed two-a-days during a grueling summer in Washington D.C. Working with strength and conditioning coach Carl Johnson also allowed him to return to the Hilltop ready to exceed his past numbers.
“I really do keep it to the basics with the weight training, as far as getting weight jacket in and touching backboard and speed work,” he said. “I make sure my fundamentals are always on point, and you know later towards the season I might start doing more intricate things.”
Head Coach Kevin Kelly believes that Moore stands out among Georgetown’s finest defensive backs. His work in the past three years has put him in a position to be regarded as the greatest Hoya cornerback in the program’s history. He makes up part of what Kelly thinks could be the best secondary in the Patriot League, and is expected to make a significant impact in keeping competitors at bay.
It took a bit of time for the New Haven native to find his niche in the secondary but he established himself as a force in the return game early on in his collegiate career. His presence on the field is crucial because of that versatility.
“He was a preseason All American. He’s probably the best [cornerback] we’ve had,” Kelly said. “He’s an excellent player; he’s extremely aggressive; he breaks on the ball extremely well; and obviously an excellent kick returner. He’s exactly what you look for in a corner.”
Moore’s expectations for this season are very high, despite lacking some of the experience that other teams may have. He is eager to do what he can to make his team better, while also striving to be put on the watch list for the best defensive player in the nation and earn a spot as a First Team All American.
“I definitely believe we are one of the top defensive teams in the Patriot League,” he said. “If not, you know, the nation.”
