Longhorns receiver lets everyone know the difference between Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — What's the difference between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning? If you ask receiver DeAndre Moore, it's not so much the arm as it is the legs.
"One has baby wheels, and one has super wheels," he said, with a big smile.
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When asked which player had which set of wheels, he smiled even bigger and laughed.
"Oh, you know," he said.
Moore, a junior, is one of two returning wide receivers who caught passes for the Longhorns last season. Operating mostly from the slot, Moore made 39 grabs for 456 yards with seven touchdowns. He'll have an expanded role this season, and he's getting used to how Manning delivers the football.
"Arch's ball comes with a little more zip," he said. "Quinn's were a little bit more of a pillow, a little bit of a cushion, kind of lofting it in there. Arch is zipping that thing in there, getting it to you."
More targets won't be the only way Moore's responsibilities will increase. He's the elder statesman of the receiver corps now, and said he learned a lot from guys like Jordan Whittington, Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell about becoming a leader. All of those players are now in the NFL.
"I had really great dudes in front of me," he said. "Whit was a more vocal leader, and X and AD were more, you know, I had to be a visual leader with those guys. I had to watch them more than anything."
He's still learning how to lead, he admitted. He wants to help the younger players as much as possible, but at the same time, he has to pace himself.
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"Sometimes, it's cool, but other times, I catch myself talking too much," he said. "I want to give them so much that I know from guys I've been in past years ... sometimes I have to take a little chill pill."
Moore has big goals, both from a team perspective and individually. He's been to the College Football Playoff semifinals two years in a row now, and he said that's "two too many." He wants to win both the Southeastern Conference and CFP national championships, and as for some personal goals, he wants spots in the record books and the hardware to show for you.
"I want the Texas touchdown record, at least 1,200 yards and the Biletnikoff Award," he said.
Jordan Shipley caught 13 touchdowns in 2009 for the single-season mark, and Roy Williams holds the career record with 36 touchdown catches. If he hits his yardage goal, that would put him at No. 3 on the all-time single-season list. Shipley had 1,485 yards in 2009, and Devin Duvernay racked up 1,386 in 2019.
If Moore were to win the Biletnikoff Award, given every year to college football's most outstanding receiver, he'd be the first Longhorn to do it. Colorado's Travis Hunter won the award last season.
Moore is ready to be a bigger part of not just the offense, but also on special teams as a punt returner.
"Last year was a really great foundation, and I'm looking forward to building on that this year," he said. "I know the coaches have a great game plan, I'm going to trust them and whatever comes out of this year will come."