Tyler Moore arrives on campus this week and is excited to get to work.
Tyler Moore, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound center from Galena Park (TX) North Shore, committed to Minnesota in December and will enroll early in college this month.
Gopher Hole caught up with Moore to learn the latest on his decision and expectations for his freshman season.
Gopher Hole: You are headed up to Minnesota soon. When are you leaving?
Tyler Moore: I am leaving the 13th (Tuesday).
Gopher Hole: Are you flying up or driving up?
Tyler Moore: I am driving up.
Gopher Hole: Anyone coming up with you?
Tyler Moore: It is just going to be me, my sister and my nieces.
Gopher Hole: You committed to Minnesota recently. What was the main reason that you decided that Minnesota was where you wanted to be?
Tyler Moore: I really fell in love with the atmosphere around the place and the coaching staff. I made really good friends with Connor Mayes and Alex.
Gopher Hole: They are Texas guys. Did you know much about them before?
Tyler Moore: I meet Connor once before at a camp. We were at the same level or whatever. I knew him a little bit, but I really got to know him when I went up there.
Gopher Hole: Does that help a little bit having some familiarity with some people when you are checking out a new school?
Tyler Moore: It helps out a lot. It is something that you can have in common with people, just knowing the guys.
Gopher Hole: You had some other really good opportunities. What other schools were you really considering at the end?
Tyler Moore: BYU and Texas. They were both making a good push. It was pretty much down to those three.
Gopher Hole: How hard was it to say no to those schools?
Tyler Moore: It was pretty hard to say no to Texas, especially being a “Texas” boy. It has always been a dream to go there. Sometimes, you have to have a change of scenery and a change will be good for you. I fell in love with the place and it was almost a no-brainer at that point.
Gopher Hole: You visited Minnesota in November for the Ohio State game. It wasn’t the warmest weather that weekend, but what was the atmosphere like?
Tyler Moore: It was awesome. It was really electric. It was a really good ball game. We should have won that game. It was definitely a winnable game. I like the cold weather. It influences the game.
Gopher Hole: Have you been to Minnesota or the Northern part of the United State much before this?
Tyler Moore: No, not really. I’ve been to Colorado, but that is about the extent.
Gopher Hole: I know that you played a few different positions at North Shore. What position are they looking at you playing at Minnesota?
Tyler Moore: It is up in the air right now. It is either going to be center or guard. I am going to be an interior linemen, for sure.
Gopher Hole: Do you have a preference? I know that you played both in high school.
Tyler Moore: I don’t have a preference. Wherever I get on the field the quickest.
Gopher Hole: Typically, most offensive lineman will redshirt to getting bigger and stronger. Have they talked to you much about that for next year?
Tyler Moore: They said that it could be a possibility, but they said that with me being strong and already built like a Big 10 lineman that I do a good chance of coming in there and being squad 2 (second team). I just have to play my cards right and just work my butt off this offseason and spring and hopefully be in position coming into fall camp.
Gopher Hole: How much of an advantage do you think it will be getting here early, five months ahead of the other kids and going through spring practice?
Tyler Moore: It is a huge advantage. I have worked my butt off for it. It is something that you can’t measure how much it helps out because you have a whole semester to get to know your classmates and go through practice.
Gopher Hole: How hard of a decision was it to leave your friends behind and graduate early?
Tyler Moore: It was. I did a lot of thinking about it, but you know in the end, I had to do what was right for me and my friends know that and they were OK with that.
Gopher Hole: How long have you had this in mind? Is that something you have been thinking about for quite awhile?
Tyler Moore: Yes. It is something that was on my mind for quite some time. I finally had to get it done and make it happen.
Gopher Hole: What are your emotions coming up to Minnesota? Are you nervous? Are you excited?
Tyler Moore: I am really, really excited. I guess you could say a little bit of that is nervousness. I am really excited to get to work. It is my program. I have been working for this day for years and it is finally here. It’s time to get to work.
Gopher Hole: Do you know who you are going to be rooming with yet?
Tyler Moore: Luke Rasmussen and somebody else. I can’t remember.
Gopher Hole: He is an offensive lineman, so you can relate to him. Did you get a chance to meet him or know him at all yet?
Tyler Moore: Yes. I saw him during my official visit.
Gopher Hole: You visited Kansas officially right before you committed. Did you have any other official visits or was it just Minnesota and Kansas?
Tyler Moore: It was Minnesota and Kansas. I didn’t have time to take any other ones.
Gopher Hole: Had you thought about trying to visit Texas and BYU or hadn’t you gotten that far in the process?
Tyler Moore: I was going to, but I felt that I already had my mind made up. I had visited Texas a few times. It was on unofficials, but I had visited multiple times. I already knew the Minnesota was the place. I wasn’t able to get to BYU, due to time constraints.
Gopher Hole: I’ve seen you on Twitter and you tweet a lot about Minnesota. Have you heard from other Gopher fans or other Gopher commits? It seems like you have really gotten behind the team already even though you haven’t even come up here yet.
Tyler Moore: Yes. I talked to the commits all the time. I am talking to Demry (Croft), Nick Connelly and Quinn (Oseland) a lot. I am talking to them every day. It makes me want to get up there and make a difference.
Gopher Hole: You were here for the Ohio State game. Did you get a chance to watch them much on TV?
Tyler Moore: I got to watch the Wisconsin game and the bowl game that they just played against Missouri and that was about it.
Gopher Hole: What were your impressions of the team?
Tyler Moore: There is still a lot to improve on, but we have a really solid foundation that we can build on. We just need a couple more difference-makers and it is going to make huge, huge dividends in the future.
Gopher Hole: Most fans here in Minnesota see the team as one that has gotten better each year and will hopefully make a next step this upcoming season. Is that what you are looking at being a part of?
Tyler Moore: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Gopher Hole: I also saw on Twitter that you got a tattoo. What was the reason behind that?
Tyler Moore: I have really been wanting a tattoo my whole life and I finally got the okay from my parents. It is Samoan symbol for power and I thought that it was something that was relevant to me, so I got that and thought that it was cool.
Gopher Hole: What has the reaction of your mom and dad been?
Tyler Moore: They were skeptic at first, but they have gotten used to it.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, a lot of Minnesota fans haven’t seen you play a lot beside highlight films. What do you see as your strengths as an offensive lineman?
Tyler Moore: I am a really “anchor” type guy. Kind of the unmoveable object. I have the athleticism to run over anybody and I feel that the effort that I give is something that most people don’t and that is what sets me apart.