Four-star wide receiver Elijah Moore released his Top 3 via Twitter on Sunday while out at The Opening.
The Buckeyes made the cut, as did Ole Miss and Miami. The expectations, however, are that this is a battle between Ole Miss and the Hurricanes, with the Canes being the team to beat.
The Opening is always an interesting time for Ohio State recruiting, and that continues this year as well. With plenty of OSU commitments on hand, there is constant recruiting going on from all sides from the players in attendance. Could such recruiting sway Moore to lean Scarlet and Gray?
Moore (5-11 168) was named one of Scout’s 10 most impressive players following Saturday’s performance. Another day or two like that and he could see a ratings jump. He is currently rated the No. 16 receiver in the nation per Rivals, and their No. 88 player overall. He is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 35 wide receiver in the 2018 class overall.
Moore plays for St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Current Buckeyes Nick Bosa, Damon Arnette, and Trevon Grimes played at Aquinas as well, so there is a pipeline of sorts already built. Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA, and Idaho have also offered.
Here are some clips of Moore from Saturday.
A) Elijah Moore is kind of quick.
B) Dude loves ball.
C) Celebration game is on point.https://t.co/adPxXBeOIr@E_Moore03 @Andrew_Ivins pic.twitter.com/ViXihTRBIT— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) July 2, 2017
Here is Moore showing a bit from back in March.
Too easy. pic.twitter.com/oiTZ4oA3NH
— Football University (@FBUcamp) June 21, 2017
Here he is from The Opening Regional camp in Orlando back in February, where he won the MVP among receivers.
@e_moore03 part 2 ?? pic.twitter.com/0lVl9oCBzL
— David Perez (@dperez_23) February 19, 2017
Moore transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas from Western prior to last season. He was named Honorable Mention All-State as a sophomore at Western where he reportedly had over 1,000 yards receiving. In his first season at Aquinas, however, the depth chart limited him to just nine receptions for 42 yards out of the slot.
Based on his sophomore film, there is plenty to like. Moore shows soft hands and quick feet. He is elusive when the first tackler approaches. Some have questioned his top-end speed, however.
Ohio State does not yet have any wideouts committed in the 2018 class, but they do have an H-back in Jaelen Gill. Moore projects as a slot receiver, but more along the lines of a Sam Bruce or Tyjon Lindsey, who the Buckeyes have unsuccessfully recruited the past couple of years. Could Moore finally be the slot receiver that they land? Right now that’s a long shot, but it doesn’t appear as though we’ll have to wait too much longer to find out.
Elijah Moore Highlights
[Elijah Moore photo courtesy of 247Sports]