C.J. MOORE COULDN'T WAIT TO BECOME A COWBOY

TULSA — It felt like the college offers might stop coming for C.J. Moore. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver kept trying to improve himself each time he thought his offer list met its ceiling. He had help from Tulsa Union safety and Oklahoma commit Patrick Fields to push him in workouts and practice. The duo's efforts resulted in a state championship in 2016. Blue-blood programs eventually flocked to the Union rising senior, who checks in at No. 2 on The Oklahoman's Super 30 recruit ranking list. The likes of Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon came calling for the receiver rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com. Moore's only issue? He didn't want to be too far from home. In particular, he wanted to be close to his niece. "I wanted to stay close, because my sister, she just had a baby," Moore said. "I want to grow up in her life, and keep her on the right path. "If anything goes wrong, I want to be able to get back the same day." Moore's main priority is family. He even planned to include his sister's newborn in his college announcement. He thought of bringing his sister and niece onto the field before the team's Meet the Redskins event in August. He wanted to dress his niece in a onesie with his future school's logo and hold her up to the crowd in a Lion King-esque presentation. Those plans fell through though when Moore's eagerness took over. "I got that (Oklahoma State) offer on June 2, 2016, on the way to camp," Moore said. "From that day on, I already know this is where I want to be, so I was pestering my dad like, 'can I go ahead and commit?'" His father wanted him to take more visits, so he waited almost a year after receiving his Cowboys offer to make his decision public. He announced he was headed to Oklahoma State, a childhood favorite for the Tulsa native, on May 1. It didn't hurt OSU's cause that C.J.'s cousin, Tracy Moore, played football for Oklahoma State. "My cousin Tracy (Moore) played there not too long ago," C.J. Moore said. "He's also my trainer. Working out with him, he tells me (how they work out) up there. What they're doing in college, I'm already doing now whenever I go work out." The Union receiver is looking to add weight to his his 6-foot-5, 175-pound frame. He says he's making progress. Even at his size as a junior, he still made defenders miss with his length and athleticism. "You definitely have to have a plan for (Moore)," Union coach Kirk Fridrich said. "To me, he does a great job. ... He moves a lot like a slot receiver that's playing outside. I think that's what catches people off guard a little bit is how fluid he is with the ball in his hand. It's not just where he outran somebody and caught a deep ball, some of that's underneath stuff that he's also able to make people miss." Coming off a state title, Moore knows a target will be on his team's back, but there's also one on his. Moore doesn't feel like anyone can stop him, he says, even if that might sound a little cocky. "People are saying they're going to lock me down," Moore said. "But once I get going, I don't feel like there's anybody that can stop me from what I need to do."

C.J. MOORE COULDN'T WAIT TO BECOME A COWBOY

Photo Credit: Tulsa World

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