Rondale Moore

Rondale Moore Heisman Trophy Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season

Written by on May 18, 2020

Purdue’s Rondale Moore was one of the nation’s most electric players as a freshman in 2018 but injuries largely wrecked his 2019 campaign. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Moore’s Heisman Trophy chances and Purdue’s 2020 college football season – assuming there is one – and an overview.

Rondale Moore Heisman Trophy Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season

Moore was a very good high school basketball player at New Albany High School in Indiana before transferring to Trinity High School in Louisville, where he was a four-star football recruit. In June 2017, Moore committed to play collegiately at Texas but then in December decommitted, saying he didn’t have all the time he needed to evaluate schools during the season.

During the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in on Jan. 6, 2018, he surprised many by committing to Purdue – Moore was the first four-star recruit to commit to Purdue in years. The other schools in the mix were Florida State, Ohio State and Alabama. Why Purdue over those powerhouse programs? Purdue’s coach is Jeff Brohm, who once was a quarterback at Trinity.  As a senior at Trinity, Moore set school records with 104 receptions for 1,461 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Moore was a sensation as freshman in 2018 with the Boilermakers in winning the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. He became the true freshman consensus All-American in Big Ten history, was Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten (wide receiver and special teams).

Moore finished with 114 receptions for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed 21 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns and returned 33 kickoffs for 662 yards and 12 punts for 82 yards. Moore broke the school record for most all-purpose yards (313) in collegiate debut against Northwestern that year.

On balls thrown 9 or fewer yards downfield, Moore saw over 20 more targets than anyone else (118 in total) and was one of two receivers who produced a receiving grade above 90.0 in 2018. He also broke a tackle on over a third of these catches and averaged 7.5 yards after the catch per reception.

Last year didn’t go as well due to injuries. Moore was able to start only four games and had 29 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest game was a 13-catch, 220-yard, one-TD matchup vs. Vanderbilt. He also returned kickoffs for 151 yards.

He, however, appeared to be fully healthy for Purdue’s spring practices, before they were canceled due to the coronavirus.

“I feel good. I’m at 100 percent,” Moore said in early March. “I’ve just been trying my best to become better.”

If Moore can return to form and stay on the field this year, he’s a likely first-round NFL draft pick in 2021. Pro Football Focus has compared him to Chiefs Pro Bowl wideout Tyreek Hill.

“His tape is out of this world,” PFF analyst Mike Renner said. “What he did every game is he stepped on the field as a true freshman at Purdue, he was the best player. Everyone knew he was the best player. Yes, he’s undersized. Yes, he doesn’t fit the mold of a top-10 pick, but he’s worth a top-10 pick. He can fill the Tyreek Hill role in your offense — not as well as maybe Tyreek Hill can — but he can do some things from a strength perspective that even Tyreek Hill can’t do. This guy is a freak in every sense of the word. Like I said, he is worth a top-10 pick.”

Purdue opens the season at Nebraska on Sept. 5 and will be an underdog there.