Captain, coach and philanthropist: Why NC State LB Isaiah Moore is ready for the NFL
Airius Moore remembers the moment he realized N.C. State linebacker Isaiah Moore was different.
“It was the 2021 season and they were playing Boston College,” Airius Moore, a performance coach, said. “B.C. ran a swing pass and (Isaiah) chased the running back down from the (far) hash. Then on the next series, he got an interception. I was like ‘Wow. He really did that.’ Because some linebackers play in the box. But when you are a linebacker who can take people down running sideline-to-sideline, that is different.”
Months earlier, Isaiah Moore and a few Wolfpack teammates began training with Airius Moore (no relation), who became a performance coach after a stint with the Arizona Cardinals and a coaching internship with N.C. State. He prioritized speed, quickness, and play recognition during weekly training sessions. Isaiah Moore’s play against Boston College was a snapshot of the productive season he had as a junior.
Eighteen months later, Moore is weeks away from realizing his dream of being drafted by an NFL team. But his journey from quiet freshman to a three-time captain with NFL aspirations is filled with unforeseen adversities which Moore transformed into opportunities. A season-ending knee injury one week after his memorable Boston College performance delayed his NFL dreams. The pandemic opened doors for him as a coach, and the death of George Floyd started his philanthropy.
During his six years at NC State, Isaiah Moore turned tragedy into triumph while uplifting his teammates, community, and university along the way.
“He handles adversity well. He doesn’t let things deteriorate him from his beliefs,” Airius Moore said. “He knows that to achieve the things he wants then there are no shortcuts, just work.”
‘The General and the Admiral’
Airius Moore — who also played linebacker for the Wolfpack — met Isaiah Moore in 2017, hosting the freshman on his official visit to N.C. State. After redshirting, the younger Moore quickly developed into a staple of the Wolfpack’s defense. He started at middle linebacker in 12 of 13 games, earned N.C. State’s Phillip Rivers freshman of the year award and finished third on the team in tackles.
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Moore always looked like a linebacker. But his speed, leadership, and communication skills separated him from other underclassmen. In his first year as a starter, the Wolfpack’s coaching staff named him the green dot player, meaning he signaled defensive play calls and was responsible for pre-snap organization.
“That’s the general, right there. He’s the admiral and what he says goes,” Airius Moore said. “He’s like a real-life action figure. He’s got traps and you cannot see his neck but he can run. And from a leadership standpoint, he has the trust of all the coaches and players. When things are going wrong they looked to him and when they went right they would still look at him for his opinion.”
Moore started 53 career games with the Wolfpack. He recorded 341 tackles, 11.5 sacks and helped NC State win 38 games. In four of those seasons, the Wolfpack finished with eight or more wins. Pro Football Focus rated him its highest-graded run defender this season. No 2023 draft prospect has had more starts than Moore over the past three seasons.
Those stats explain just parts of his potential as an NFL prospect. The team that drafts Moore will be adding a culture-changing influencer. As the spine of N.C. State’s defense for half a decade, Moore proved invaluable to the university both on and off the field.
The comeback, and giving back
In May 2020, Isaiah Moore started a student-led, non-profit organization at N.C. State called Pack United in response to the death of George Floyd. The program focuses on social justice, housing security, food insecurity, racism awareness, education, and action.
“We’re going to be athletes for just a short time period in our lives, but we are all people and we all have different issues that we go through everyday,” Moore said then. “I just feel like the fans who support us on the field should also support us in what we try to do as well as far as the issues we try to deal with on a daily basis.”
He serves as the co-president of Pack United, which has an eight-member executive team. Through the vision of Moore and other founding members, Pack United strives to be an ally of support for students of color. The organization has sparked necessary conversations with administrators, coaches, and student-athletes to promote change throughout campus and the country. Even while preparing for the NFL draft, Moore has continued helping Pack United secure donations, grants, and sponsorships.
“2020 happens and (the university) started to face more adversity. (Isaiah) started talking about more than just what’s going on from a football standpoint, and being a leader there. He was talking about social issues and how things need to change,” Airius Moore said. “He was being vulnerable, putting his beliefs out there and leading by example. He really took charge of trying to make change in every aspect that he can.”
Adversity struck Moore again when he tore his ACL halfway through what he anticipated being his final season at N.C. State. He missed the final five games of his junior season and immediately started rehabbing. But rather than declare for the NFL Draft, Moore knew it was best to return to N.C. State for one more season, to prove his knee was healthy and that he was still the player he was before the injury.
That’s exactly what happened. This past season, Moore anchored a Wolfpack defense that finished 15th in the nation. For a third consecutive season, he was a captain and wore the prestigious No. 1 jersey. He earned an All-ACC honorable mention, recording 85 tackles, three sacks, four pass breakups, and 15 tackles for a loss.
Then, it was time to prepare for the NFL. He trained with Exos, a nationally recognized health and wellness company that trains elite athletes, the military, and businesses. But he also leaned on Airius Moore to hone his 40-yard dash time, cone drills and jumps.
The two trained for 23 days over three weeks, and it paid off. Isaiah Moore ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash. His short shuttle range was 4.38 to 4.44 seconds, and his three-cone was clocked at 7.04 seconds. Moore looked “fluid and ran well,” according to a league source who attended the pro day.
“We put a plan together. It was both of us collaborating,” Airius Moore said. “He hit the numbers that we wanted to hit. He went out there and competed with the right mentality and the result came.”
Already a championship coach
Moore hopes to hear his name called during the NFL Draft in two weeks. He projects as an early Day 3 selection who is on the radar of linebacker-needy teams, including the Carolina Panthers. According to a league source, Moore has already spoken to all 32 NFL teams. At his pro day, he said he is enjoying talking football with teams and demonstrating his knowledge of multiple schemes.
He’s played in several defensive systems, including a 4-2-5 and a three-three-stack while at N.C. State. He’ll soon have an opportunity to prove himself as a pro. Regardless of how long his playing days last, those around Moore are confident he could be a head coach someday if he wants.
His coaching career is already taking form. During the pandemic, Moore used his free time to coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School. The pandemic created a winter season for North Carolina preps football, and he helped coach the defense. He poured himself into the private Catholic high school’s football program, not missing a single practice or game. The Crusaders lost in the state championship that season.
The following fall, Airius Moore joined the Cardinal Gibbons coaching staff and saw Isaiah Moore balance being a full-time student-athlete with coaching high school football.
He showed up when he could. But made sure he was there for the Crusaders’ third-consecutive state championship appearance. Cardinal Gibbons earned its first state title with a 14-2 win over the two-time defending champion Chambers high school of Charlotte.
“(Isaiah) took a group of players that he coached at a specific position, and they had one heck of a game,” Airius Moore said. “His coaching ability, in my opinion, is second to none.
From being teammates, to sharing a sideline, and then preparing for the NFL Draft, Moore and Airius Moore have forged a lifetime bond. Recently they had a football conversation fit for a barbershop. Moore asked him what percentage of results should be credited to coaching versus the players.
Airius Moore responded “55% players, 45% coaches” before flipping the question to Moore. The NFL hopeful fired back.
“65-35,” Moore said. “Because sometimes as players you have to overcome coaching.”
Airius Moore immediately changed his mind. Once again, Moore stole the moment.
“I thought, ‘Wow. Okay, he’s right,” Airius Moore said. “It goes to show that as a coach, you provide resources. You can provide encouragement. You can provide the right environment. But at the end of the day, it has to be the athlete who goes out and executes their job. And (Isaiah) is that guy to a tee.
“He’s going to do that and then some.”
