A new beginning at Rutgers for Malachi Moore

At noon on Monday, May 30th, Malachi Moore will officially report to Rutgers as a graduate transfer with one more year of eligibility remaining on the football field. He is transferring in from Boston College, where he already earned his college degree and overcame a great deal as both a player and a person.

“Things have been going pretty well. I am training as hard as possible to exceed my expectations of who I am as a football player, both mentally and physically,” Moore said earlier today. “I am looking forward to my last year at Rutgers.”

Moore, a native of Hackettstown, N.J., graduated this past Monday from Boston College with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and also took a host of film courses as an undergrad.

“I am looking to go into film once football is over with," Moore said. I am looking at all the things that make up a film, even the lower jobs you don’t hear about. There are so many occupations that involve the making of film.”

Moore has already made a short film entitled The Monster, which can be viewed on YouTube. He will begin a Labor Management graduate program this June while playing out his final season of college football as a Rutgers defensive end.

“I do see myself fitting in with their defense,” said the 6-foot-7 Moore, who weighed in today at 278 pounds. “From all of the things that [Rutgers Defensive Line] Coach [Shane] Burnham has told me, they can use me on both ends of the defensive line. I like to think of myself as a versatile player, if they like me inside or outside, it doesn’t really matter to me. I just want to get the opportunity to show them what I can do.”

Moore also knows a thing or two about having a true appreciation for the game.

“I am really looking forward to seeing how I do both mentally and physically in this new environment with all the confidence I have coming in," he said.

Moore appeared in six games as a true freshman in 2012 and then during his sophomore year, he developed blood clots in both of his legs.

“There was a lot of talk of whether or not I would actually play football again,” Moore said. “I had multiple doctors coming in to talk to me. Things just did not seem like they were going to work out. It was hard to keep going through the process.”

And exactly how to Moore persevere through all of that?

“Friends and family. My mother went through a lot,” Moore explained. “She was a very strong woman and she actually passed my freshman year. Just thinking about her and the potential she saw in me really helped me persevere through everything. It was tough, but I stand here now and cannot imagine what kind of person I would be if I didn’t go through all that. It gave me a lot of perspective and a lot of wisdom in the world. That helped out not just with football, but with life.”

Moore reflected back on the days when he was not able to work out with his Boston College teammates as he was trying to recover from the blood clots in his legs.

“It’s the worse feeling in the world when you can barely walk and your workout for the day is just walking around the stadium. And while you can barely do that, you are watching your teammates get after it. It sucks.”

Moore was eventually able to get back on the field during his third year at Boston College and remembers that return vividly.

“It felt amazing and just reassured my love for the game. The first game I came back was against UMass at Gillette Stadium," Moore said. "I was so nervous and so excited at the same time. There is no other feeling like stepping out and playing with your teammates.”

Now, Moore admitted that he plays with a much greater appreciation for the game.

“Huge appreciation. Again, the wisdom comes in, If you are hurting or tired, you have to stop and think that you might not ever do this again. So you just have to suck it up and keep going.”

Moore's return to New Jersey is a bit of a homecoming, although his father does not reside in the Garden State.

“My father lives in Chicago, but I have a lot of close friends who I call family in New Jersey and they have helped me out with a lot of things,” Moore said.

And now that his arrival at Rutgers is just a few days away, Moore is ready to write a new chapter in what has already been a tumultuous story.

“It is a new beginning. It feels like taking a deep breath. I am very honored and blessed that Rutgers gave me another opportunity to play the sport that I love. Boston College did a lot for me and has turned me into the man I am today as far as academically and in football. This is just a new start for me and I am very happy it all worked out.”