St. Louis DE Joe Moore checks out Illinois

St. Louis Cardinal Ritter 2020 defensive end Joe Moore took an unofficial visit to Illinois this past weekend and was present for the game against Western Illinois on Saturday.

For the past year, the relationship between the Illinois staff and Moore has been off and on. Communication has ramped up between the two lately as Moore has been in contact with running backs coach Thad Ward.

None of the current Illini players have reached out to Moore, but 2019 verbal Illini commit Isaiah Williams has talked to Moore. Moore said he reached out to the senior St. Louis Trinity Catholic quarterback when he committed to Illinois.

“He’s been telling me about this school every now and then,” Moore said. “He said that it’s a good school and that it was the right choice for him.”

Moore said that he really appreciated the opportunity to talk to Williams and that he sees Williams as a role model.

With Champaign only being a couple hours away from St. Louis, Moore liked that he wasn’t too far away from home, so his family could travel back and forth if he was to come to Illinois. Moore also said he likes the connections Illinois provides.

Other unofficial visits Moore has lined up includes trips to Michigan State, Kentucky and Missouri. Moore said Kentucky has been wanting to give him an offer for some time, but the Wildcats want more film on the defensive end before they extend him an offer.

Moore said he’s enjoyed the whole recruiting process so far.

“Just trying to figure out which school is best for me,” Moore said.

Moore has been doing what he can to give Kentucky and other schools that film too, helping lead Cardinal Ritter to a 3-0 start to the season on both sides of the ball.

As the season goes on, Moore said he is looking to continue to build up more sacks, tackles and reach the ultimate goal of going to the state championship. To do that, Moore said he’s looking to improve on some technical aspects of his game.

“(Working on) my speed and getting off the ball faster,” Moore said. “Just trying to build upon my craft.”