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NC State Football

Isaiah Moore: "I'm Grateful To Be Here"

August 5, 2021
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Heading into the 2021 season, linebacker Isaiah Moore will be one of NC State football’s most important players both on and off the field. 

Moore spoke to the media following the team’s first fall camp practice this week, and here’s a full breakdown of everything he had to say: 


Does this day one feel different because you guys are so experienced and have so much depth? 
I’m grateful to be here on day one at camp. With everything we experienced last year, we didn’t know if we were going to get this day. So a lot of us don’t take it for granted, getting out here. And the fact that we’ve got so much depth and experience at so many different positions, it’s definitely a different feeling. It’s not so much trying to figure out what’s going on from guys; everybody’s kind of on the same page already. So it’s a good feeling. 

You’ve got so many guys that know what to do.  How do you push yourselves? 
We went 8-4 last year, and that wasn’t the goal. Eight wins is never the goal here. So we know we still have things we want to achieve and things we want to overcome internally. So we’re just going to keep striving for that each and every day. 

How much are you trying to be a leader for the young guys in the linebacker room? 
Jordan Poole and Caden Fordham came in in the spring and they’re just two great, hard-working guys that have just bought into the program from day one. They trust us, me, [Drake Thomas], [Payton Wilson], [Levi Jones], [Jaylon Scott], guys who have been here a long time, they trust us to lead them the right way. They just fall in line. They’re doing a great job. 

Are there lessons that you learned when you were younger from older guys in the program that you can try to pass on to them? 
Yeah, definitely. I came in 2017 with guys like Jerod Fernandez, Airius Moore. I played with [Germaine Pratt] my freshman year, guys who played a lot of football. They taught me the way, so I try to just pass on any type of lessons and anything I’ve learned, I try to just pass it on to them. Hopefully they take it the same way I did. 

It felt like going into last year, there was a thought that this linebacker unit could be really good. You guys proved that, and there seems to be a lot of hype around you guys this year. Is there any added pressure that comes with that? 
Not necessarily. We’re focused on each other, and focused on what’s going on inside the Murphy Center and on that practice field every day. The outside world can talk and have expectations, but we’ve got to go out there and put a product on the field. That’s the only thing we’re focused on. 

Last year, you got to go home for the summer, and the first day of camp was a big deal. Now you guys have been practicing on your own, and it doesn’t seem like there’s any break anymore, right? 
Last year, with COVID, we kind of had to figure things out by ourselves because we weren’t here. But the work ethic of this team, the work ethic of the guys here is just through the roof. So we never stopped working. It was always, even if we go home, a lot of guys go home with each other or stay here just to get some extra work in with the guys. So we’re a very tight-knit group and we love working together. 

How exciting is it to have the super seniors back? 
Yeah, they got a year back from COVID and they’re back out here. We’ve got a lot of guys back that we didn’t expect to have back, and it’s been great. They’re all thankful to have another year out there and they bring a lot of leadership and experience to the team. I can’t wait to see what they do this year. 

Do you automatically inherit the No. 1 jersey this year? 
Well, coach Doeren hasn’t taken it away from me, so until he does, I guess I inherit it for another year. But it’s one of those things where I have to wear it with pride, and everything I do has to be what the jersey represents every day. So I’m sure if I keep doing that, I should have it for a little while. 

 
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