IRVING, Texas – There is a silver lining for Texas A&M fans lamenting the loss of Damontre Moore to the NFL following his junior season.
Moore, who declared for the draft Sunday, has all his focus on Oklahoma for Friday's Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium.
"It's a good feeling to have it out of the way," the All-America defensive end said. "It's one less thing. Now I can truly give it my all and focus on beating OU. It hasn't really set in yet. It's kind of surreal."
Moore is expected to be a first-round pick in next April's draft. That opportunity was too big for Moore to pass up, although his three years in College Station made the decision a difficult one.
Moore said Sunday morning that he was undecided on making the move. He informed his coaches and teammates at their Dallas hotel Sunday night that his mind was made up.
Having their blessing was big for Moore.
"There were so many pros and cons, but the big deciding factor was once I saw my whole team gathered around me and was very supportive," Moore said. "And the coaching staff was supportive, and they knew that I've been struggling with this decision."
Moore's junior season was helped out by a position switch, as he moved from linebacker as a sophomore to a lineman as a junior. He leads the Aggies in tackles and is among the nation's leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.
If he continues to progress, there's little doubt that Moore made the right decision.
"From him moving to standing up to having his hand on the ground and buying into what we're doing, practicing the way he practiced, playing the way he played, we talk all the time about getting as your work's deserved and he's got as his work's deserved," A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said. "As long as he continues to do what he's done to get where he's at, he'll be fine."
The 6-4, 250-pound Moore will likely continue a recent trend of first-round picks for A&M. Two years ago Von Miller, who mentored Moore, was a top pick by the Denver Broncos. Last year quarterback Ryan Tannehill was Miami's first-round pick.
Moore could have two more teammates join him in declaring early and also as likely first-round picks. Junior offensive linemen Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews haven't made their decisions but are both considered first-round picks.
While the future is the NFL for Moore, the present is OU. Moore won't change the way he approaches the game just because of that.
"The mindset I went into this year was play every game as if it was your last one," Moore said. "Leave it all out there on the field. If anything, it might give me a little more of an edge knowing this is my last time playing in a Texas A&M uniform."
