South Carolina star linebacker Skai Moore announced in January that he had decided to skip out on the 2016 NFL Draft in order to return for his senior season and “finish what he started” with the Gamecocks this upcoming fall.
Little did he know that he’d have to wait an extra year to do so.
On Tuesday afternoon, coach Will Muschamp announced that Moore will receive a medical redshirt and is set to miss the entire 2016 season after having surgery on Friday to repair a disc in his neck.
South Carolina LB Skai Moore will take a redshirt this year. He will have neck fusion surgery on Friday.
— Barrett Sallee ?? (@BarrettSallee) May 31, 2016
Moore, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, has 260 tackles in a three-year career. The school record for career tackles is J.D. Fuller’s 405 (1979, 1981-1983). He has led the Gamecocks in stops the last three years and had 111 tackles last year, the most by any South Carolina player since Jonathan Martin had 122 in 2002.
“As one might anticipate, Moore relies on his quickness to slip by would-be blockers to get to the ball and can be simply mauled by offensive linemen when they get their mitts on him,” wrote Rob Rang last September. “He’s a patient, generally reliable open-field tackler, who wraps his arms around the ball-carrier and drags them to the turf rather than an explosive hitter who intimidates opponents.
“Where Moore stands out is in coverage. Quick and agile, he’s able to drop back quickly into coverage and does a nice job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and anticipating routes. Has a knack for being in the right place at the right time in big games, which scouts will certainly take note of – including a pair of end zone interceptions in the 2015 opening win vs. North Carolina.”
CBS Sports currently lists Moore as the No. 3-best outside linebacker prospect for the draft class of 2017.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
