Lakewood High Football Coach Cory Moore Joins Los Angeles Rams as NFL Scout

After mentoring future NFL stars and winning 13 titles in Florida, Cory Moore officially begins a new chapter with the Rams through their Scouting Apprenticeship Program

Cory Moore accepted a full-time scouting position with the Los Angeles Rams and leaves behind a lasting legacy with the Lakewood Spartans. / Lakewood High School

Cory Moore’s Final Day at Lakewood Becomes His First in the NFL

Cory Moore will never forget Sunday, June 1, 2025.

After 17 years of building up young men and developing a respectable program as Head Coach of the Lakewood High School football team in South St. Petersburg, Florida, Moore's official last day at the school happens to also be his first in the National Football League after he accepted a full-time scouting position with the Los Angeles Rams.

A Legacy of Wins, Mentorship, and NFL Pipeline in St. Petersburg

What Coach Moore leaves behind is a proven track-record as a two-time Coach of the Year for spotting talent and getting high school football players to the next level including 12 NFL players (including Dante Fowler, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, and Shaquell and Shaquem Griffin) during a time when the Spartans went 130-69 under his leadership with 21 playoff victories and 13 championships. Now as a former Spartan himself, it's Coach Moore's moment to bask in the glow of seeing his own NFL dreams come true thanks to the Scouting Apprentice Program launched by the Rams back in 2020.

Rams Apprenticeship Program Opens Door to NFL Opportunity

That's when Coach Moore was chosen along with nine other aspiring coaches from around the nation to take part in the inaugural program created by the team to address the disparities faced by minorities and females by providing training, mentorship, and career advancement.

Rams GM Les Snead helped launch the Scouting Apprenticeship Program with one question in mind: "What are some things I can do?" / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Our vision with this apprenticeship is to provide access and opportunities to many talented, aspiring, minority scouts and player evaluators," Rams General Manager, Les Snead said at the start of the program that was born out of a response to the trying times of 2020.

"We have to be intentional in identifying, developing, and advising these men and women and offer hands-on experience and mentorship from scouts and personnel professionals at the highest level of sports. It is imperative for us to spend the necessary time to build a successful, on-going program that will widen the pool of candidates to be the personnel leaders of tomorrow."

Mentorship, Evaluation and Experience in the NFL Scouting World

Five years ago when Coach Moore began as a member of the Los Angeles Rams' Scouting Apprentice Program he was mentored by Taylor Morton, the Rams Senior Personnel Advisor at the time and currently their Senior Personnel Executive & Deputy Chief of College Scouting Staff. Their in-depth conversations combined with Moore seeing the grind of the NFL confirmed to him that he was right where he was meant to be by participating in the program.

From High School Foundation to NFL Evaluation—Moore’s Coaching Philosophy

"I've had numerous opportunities to go coach college football," Coach Moore shared as part of the Rams' online series profiling their apprentices.

"I felt at that time, that the groundwork is really in high school. Because really guys in college are just relying on moving off of the momentum that started in high school. What I'm really intrigued with is working on foundation. Prepare those guys so they can take that and move in the right direction, to the next level."

In addition to receiving one-one-one development, the scouting apprentices like Moore dug deep into the evaluation process with study sessions focused on the injury history of a player, assisting NFL area scouts look at players at D2 and D3 programs, along with tracking player invitations and conducting player interviews. And then there were perks that came with the program, big and shiny perks.

One Ring Earned, Another in Sight

In 2022 as a sign of appreciation for the coaches taking part in the Scouting Apprentice Program, Coach Moore received a Super Bowl ring from the Rams. This coming September with the start of the 2025-2026 NFL season and Moore an official "graduate" of the program, he'll be chasing another one.

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