Four-Star Defensive Back Malachi Moore Finishes Senior Season in Style
It was not the senior season that four-star defensive back Malachi Moore had hoped for, but it was a season he will not be taking for granted.
So much didn't go as expected, or hoped.
“This year was God’s way of teaching me how to deal with adversity and teaching me how to respond with things are not going your way,” Moore said. “We had a lot of injuries, so it was about overcoming difficult times.”
After reaching the playoffs and winning at least eight games during each of his first three years, Moore and Hewitt-Trussville High School will sit this postseason out, after finishing the season 6-4 and placing fifth in Class 7A-Region 3.
While there were heartbreaking defeats and low moments along the way, Moore made the most of his final two games in a Husky uniform.
In his penultimate game, Moore and the Huskies traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the Tuscaloosa County Wildcats. He stole the show, finishing the game with 20 tackles and a game-saving interception with five seconds remaining on the clock.
“It hit me in the middle of the game that I would actually be playing down here next year,” Moore said. “I did not even realize I had that many tackles because I was just in the zone. The interception felt good because it happened in my future home.”
A performance like that could be a sign of things to come for the Trussville, Ala. native when he plays his home games at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The following week, against the state’s top ranked team, Thompson, in his high school finale, Moore saved his best for last.
With the Huskies leading 28-23 late in the fourth quarter, Moore and the defense were back on the field trying to stop the Warriors’ offense one final time.
“Before we went out there, I was talking to myself on the sideline,” Moore said. “I was telling myself, ‘Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.’ They were taking some shots deep down the field, so I had a feeling I was going to get a pick. I just did not know when it was going to come.”
Sure enough, his instincts were accurate.
Moore intercepted an errant pass and raced 57 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, clinching the upset win for the Huskies.
“It was the icing on the cake for my high school career,” Moore said. “It a big way to end it since it was my last high school game and final one at home.”
His final numbers for the 2019 season included 83 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and four interceptions.
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Moore is the top-ranked defensive back in the state. He checks in at 266th on the ESPN300 list.
As a hot commodity on the recruiting trail, Moore received scholarship offers from the likes of Tennessee, Michigan, Clemson, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, and Auburn. But during the summer of his junior year, everything changed with the school of his dreams began to take notice.
“I was at a camp at Alabama when I got the offer from Nick Saban,” Moore said. “I had worked so hard for it and it meant so much. Once I got that, I felt everything was done with, in terms of feeling the need to get any more. I did not feel the need to have anymore after the Alabama offer. It solidified everything.”
Moore has been committed to the Crimson Tide since August of 2018 and this past week shut down his recruitment process.
“I know what Alabama can provide for me,” Moore said. “Not only a great football career, but academically and career-wise and all of the connections you can have there. I told myself whenever I committed somewhere that I was not going to decomit. My word means a lot to me.”
His high school career is over, but Moore has two more opportunities to showcase his talent on the field before he arrives in Tuscaloosa, and this time stays. He will play in the 2019 Alabama-Mississippi All Star Game on Dec. 14 and the 2020 Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 4
Moore has made several visits to watch the Crimson Tide play in Bryant-Denny Stadium this season, and will be back for the highly anticipated showdown with LSU on Nov. 9.
“It is definitely going to be a good game,” Moore said. “I think it will be a defensive game, which I like since I am a defensive guy, but Alabama is going to come out on top.”
