Shady Side Academy’s Skyy Moore commits to Western Michigan
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Monday, November 26, 2018 | 6:12 PM
Skyy Moore can’t exactly jump for joy right now, given his recovery from a fractured left ankle. But that didn’t make the Shady Side Academy football star any less excited to make his college decision Monday.
Moore, a standout quarterback/defensive back, committed to Western Michigan after visiting the school’s campus in Kalamazoo, Mich., over the weekend. The New Kensington native chose the Broncos over finalists Holy Cross and Rice, plus about another dozen offers from Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision schools.
“Everybody’s excited to be a Bronco,” Moore said.
It was a busy recruitment for Moore, particularly since the spring. Fourteen of his 15 offers came after April. Buffalo, Rice and Western Michigan offered from the FBS level. Some of the FCS schools interested in Moore included local schools Duquesne and Robert Morris.
Ivy League schools Brown, Columbia and Yale also came calling for Moore, who came into the school year with a 3.3 grade-point average.
Western Michigan’s coaching staff and its recent success helped win over Moore. The Broncos won the Mid-American Conference championship and appeared in the Cotton Bowl in the 2016 season. This fall they went 7-5, including 5-3 in MAC games.
Western Michigan alumni in the NFL include Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis, Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Darius Phillips and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, another plus for Moore, who hopes to play in the pros one day.
“The whole trip there I was thinking I can see myself here, and then I slept on it,” Moore said. “I just woke up (and knew). We’ve been doing so much research between Rice and Western Michigan. I went with my gut. I just felt like Western Michigan was right for me.”
Although he’ll play cornerback at WMU, Moore starred on both sides of the ball for Shady Side Academy. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Moore exceeded the 1,000-yard mark in both passing and rushing this season, the second consecutive season he accomplished that feat. He formed one of the WPIAL’s most dangerous big-play passing tandems with wide receiver Dino Tomlin, a Maryland recruit.
Moore led Shady Side Academy to a perfect 9-0 regular season, an Allegheny Conference title, and the top seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. He fractured his left ankle in the Indians’ first-round victory over Serra Catholic, and Shady Side Academy lost its quarterfinal game to South Side.
After undergoing ankle surgery earlier this month, Moore is on the mend. While he won’t play basketball this winter, he said he’s on track for track season in the spring and is ready to play football in college.
“I’m happy to have found a place that I can call home for the next four years,” Moore said.
Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.
Tags: Shady Side Academy
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