Clayton Moore, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback from Louisville, Ms., finished his junior season with a staggering 3,046 yards passing and also had 840 yards rushing for over 40 total touchdowns. Moore also threw 13 interceptions while leading his team to a 12-3 record and the 3A state championship.
"I have the ability to lead my team and am a coach on the field," Moore said. "I can move the chains when they need to move. I have a pretty strong arm and good accuracy, but I want to improve my arm strength.
"I really like being physical, which I know sounds strange coming from a quarterback," he said. "But when I run, I like to make it worthwhile. Even if I take the worse end of the licking, at least I showed them I'm not afraid to get hit."
In addition to arm strength, Moore says he'd like to get faster as well. "I run a high 4.7 forty," Moore said. "I want to get faster. I also want to improve my footwork in the pocket."
Moore says he can bench 240 pounds, squat 350 and has a 28-inch vertical jump.
With over 15 scholarship offers, Moore denies narrowing down his favorites yet. "They are all pretty equal right now," he said. "I've been playing baseball and haven't really had time to check out as many schools as I'd like to."
One of the schools he has already visited is Alabama. "I went there for a junior day," Moore said. "It went real well. I'm going back there for a camp on May 3. They've talked with my coaches a few times, but they really haven't been recruiting me too hard yet."
The Tide haven't offered Moore, but he does have offers from Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, Southern Miss, Tulsa, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Bowling Green, Western Michigan and a few others.
The first school to offer Moore was Southern Miss shortly after signing day this year. "It's not too far away (about two and half hours)," he said. "But that doesn't really matter. It's not a big deal, but it's a plus.
"Their offense is basically exactly what we run at my high school and I think I'd fit in really well there," he said. "I really like (head) coach Larry Fedora. He's a real competitor and very fiery and that's how I am. That's the kind of coach I want to play for. Plus, they just signed a five-star wide receiver this year so that doesn't hurt."
Moore admits he followed local favorite Mississippi State while growing up, but says they aren't recruiting him. "They already offered another in-state quarterback," he said. "I basically watched them because they are just up the road. It's only like 20 minutes away."
Another in-state favorite which hasn't offered yet is Ole Miss. "I've been there a few times and I'm hearing a lot from them," he said. "They said they'd come see me at practice before they offer.
"I got to meet the new coaches and spend some time with the quarterback coach (Kent Austin) too," he said. "They said they plan on not just bringing in the best athletes, but also the best leaders. They want guys that will do the right thing. They have a pretty good coaching staff, so I think they'll be pretty good next year. I saw them practice and was impressed."
Despite all the offers he does claim, Moore's still waiting on that elusive SEC offer. "I've got offers from the ACC and the Big 12, but the SEC hasn't offered yet," he said. "I guess we'll see what happens."
One of the ACC that has already pulled the trigger on Moore is Virginia Tech. "They are a program that is always in the top 15," he said. "They've got a great thing going there and have good tradition too. I also heard that the campus is real nice."
The coach recruiting Moore for the Hokies is quarterback coach Mike O'Cain. "He's a nice guy," Moore said. "He likes to hunt and I'm not sure if he's from the south, but he acts like a southern guy."
Although Moore admits that being close to home is a plus, he says he's open to getting away from home and plans to check out Iowa and Nebraska more closely as well.
"Nebraska has a lot of tradition," he said. "They have amazing history and they are known for all the great players they produce. The new coaches seem like good guys and hopefully they'll be able to turn it around.
"Iowa seems to have some good quarterbacks come through there," he said. "They've sent some guys to the NFL and had that big-time quarterback a few years ago."
Moore says he's doesn't have a time frame for making a decision but plans to attend a few more camps this summer. "I haven't planned all that out yet," he said. "I do it all at the last minute. I probably won't figure it out until the day before I go."
He already attended the Under Armour / Scout.com combine at Auburn on April 27.
"I want to have a good connection with my quarterback coach," he said. "I also want to be able to play. There's always competition, but let's just say that if Tim Tebow is a freshman then I'm probably not choosing Florida. That just wouldn't be smart."
Moore reports a 2.8 core GPA and a 17 ACT, which he plans to retake.