Feb. 1, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State head football coach Denver Johnson added some depth at the running back position with the addition of Iowa State transfer Mitchell Moore to the Redbird roster. Moore is currently attending classes at Illinois State and will have four years of eligibility remaining with the Redbirds.
Moore was redshirted during the 2006 campaign with the Cyclones, after being a highly-touted prep star at Warren Township in Gurnee, Ill. At 6-foot, 205-pounds, Moore was rated as the No. 2 running back in the state of Illinois and No. 23 nationally by Rivals.com. The three-star recruit legged the fastest 40-yard-dash time (4.40) by a running back at the 2005 Ann Arbor Nike Training Camp.
"Mitchell is a young man who we were really close to in the recruiting process last year," Johnson said. "We are very excited to have him join our club. He is a tall, lean, pro-typical tailback with great speed. He had a great high school career and we think that he fits the profile of the other transfers who have come in here and done extremely well.
"We feel that the addition of Mitchell with Rafael Rice, Geno Blow and Cortes Rice only enhances what is already a talented pool of tailbacks."
As a senior with the Blue Devils, Moore rushed for 1,353 yards and 25 touchdowns, while being named all-state, all-area, all-county and all-conference. The PrepStar all-Midwest selection also earned special mention from the Chicago Tribune after a junior season with 1,725 yards and 26 touchdowns. After his junior season, Moore received all-conference, all-county and all-area accolades, while also being named honorable mention all-state.
Moore, who was also a three-year basketball starter, earned his first all-conference honor as a sophomore, en route to being named newcomer of the year with 405 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Warren Township finished with a 17-5 combined record during his junior and senior seasons, while qualifying for the state playoffs both years. Moore was also a prep teammate of Illinois State's Chris Riley, and was coached by Dave Mohapp.
Moore is the second running back to transfer from Iowa State in the Johnson era, joining Brian Thompson, who rushed for 1,475 yards and eight touchdowns in two seasons with the Redbirds.
The Redbirds have added three mid-year transfers as Moore joins junior college transfers Chris Garrett and Wesley Williams.
