Made to Order: UW Tight-End Commit Quentin Moore Found Maturity in Kansas

Kyoto Harris, the Independence Community College football coach in Kansas, saw tight end Quentin Moore as a top prospect but wondered if the newcomer from the Northwest could match his physical skills with the proper maturity. The answer was yes.

Quentin Moore graduated with a 1.8 grade-point average in 2109 from high school in suburban Seattle, greatly limiting his college-football prospects. He chose Independence Community College in Kansas to recover academically.

Once the Inglemoor High School product stepped onto the field in the Midwest, he was shocked by what awaited him.

“Everyone was as big as me,” Moore said of his introduction to Independence Community College football last July. 

However, Kiyoshi Harris, the Pirates head coach, knew what he was getting in this incoming football player, now a 2021 University of Washington commit.

“He was used in a multitude of ways in high school, but once we cut up the film of him and got to the parts of him at tight end, he became a must-have,” Harris said. “We moved him to the top of our recruiting board.” 

Harris had seen players with Moore’s imposing 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame before, but not the the type of athleticism that came with it. Unfortunately, he had let go of players like him because they weren’t able to pull things together.

Moore admittedly was slow to adapt to his new surroundings in Kansas. Over the first couple of weeks, when he missed dinner at the cafeteria, he called his mother back home for help.    

“He called and begged me to order him a pizza to his dorm room from the local Pizza Hut,” Sara Steele-Moore said. “I told him to do it himself. He said, ‘Please, you know I don’t like doing that kind of stuff.' " 

She relented and ordered him his favorite pepperoni pizza and another of his roommates and friends.

Yet Harris saw warning signs of a player not holding himself accountable or able to take the initiative to do something like feed himself.

“We have a high turnover rate where about 70 kids a year come through the program,” he said. “Last year, we had 51 students graduate. The others were sent home for various reasons.” 

Harris understands he has to show great patience with a lot of kids that he coaches who wouldn’t be going to college without football. A coach for more than 20 years, he understands the warning signs like missing team meetings and school assignments. He preaches accountability on a daily basis. 

Other coaches might dream of being a part of a a higher-level coaching staff, but Harris embraces developing the players he has and giving them another shot. He loves the personal side of a two-year college versus the business side of a four-year university. 

“Without Independence, 51 kids last year wouldn't have gotten their associates degrees,” Harris said.   

When it comes to behavioral patterns and warning signs, Harris has seen it all. He was quick to tell Moore that if he didn’t change his behavior or mindset he wouldn’t be going to the University of Washington.   

After a couple of weeks passed, and as the messages of maturity began to reach Moore, Harris saw progress.   

So did his mom. 

“I asked him if he was getting up on time for workouts," she said. "He said, ‘Mom, I'm not a kid anymore.’ It kind of made me sad but happy at the same time. He didn't need me like he used to."