Woodbridge’s Dereck Moore ‘feels blessed’ after earning scholarship to New Mexico

Dereck Moore of Woodbridge right after signing his national letter of intent. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Dereck “DJ” Moore had quite a four-year football career at Woodbridge High School as an outstanding wide receiver and strong safety, capping it this season by being named the specialist MVP of the Pacific Hills League.

Now, Moore is excited to go to the next level at University of New Mexico. Supported by family including his father Dereck Moore, Woodbridge football teammates, Moore signed with UNM on Wednesday in the school’s gymnasium.

“The facilities were nice, they gave me the greatest chance and they showed they wanted me,” Moore said after signing. “I’m going to be playing defense. I’m going to play safety.”

The 6-3, 190-pound Moore said he also considered offers from Jackson State and University of Nevada Las Vegas.

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In the end, he accepted the scholarship offer from New Mexico.

“It’s very special because not a lot of people get to go to college for free, let alone play sports, so I feel blessed,” he said.

Moore said he had fond memories of his days at Woodbridge, where he started as a defensive end.

“I just kept honing my skills at DB and receiver and played a whole bunch of positions but at the end, I wanted to play safety,” he said.

Moore said he remembers the Irvine game in his junior year,

“It was the first game I came back after a big injury and I’m pretty sure the fifth play of the game I laid a huge hit on Tate Zimmerman, that was exciting for me,” he said.

Woodbridge football coach Aaron Craver said he was excited for Moore.

“This is a great signing,” he said. “I always believed that athletes should go to a place where they go and can fit right in and play right away, that’s the most important to me. You look at a lot of the people who get drafted in the NFL, most of the bigs are coming from Alabama and Georgia and Ohio State, the quarterbacks are coming from those schools.

“But for the most part, skilled position players are coming from small schools, they don’t care where you go, as long as you are on film, and going to New Mexico, he’s going to get a chance to get some film to where he has a chance to go to the next level after that. He has to put all the work in. So, I’m happy about it.”

Moore said he plans to major in business and is interested in finance and real estate.

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Dereck Moore of Woodbridge signs with University of New Mexico

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com