Inside Skyy Moore’s Western Michigan University apartment hangs a centerpiece tapestry extending across an entire wall of his room. The tapestry illustrates an imaginary NBA court-side handshake between Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle; a pair of fallen Los Angeles icons whose lives were recently lost far too soon, but whose legacies still live on inside the hearts and minds of millions just like Moore.
For Moore, the display serves as a source of inspiration. It’s a subtle reminder of the why behind his day-to-day grind — a representation of the process-focused mentality essential for proving that while his lack of Power Five scholarship offers in high school was a fluke, Moore’s meteoric rise at Western Michigan last season wasn’t. He doesn’t want to be a one-hit wonder.
“I watch a lot of interviews of Kobe and Nipsey,” said Moore. “Both of them had a similar mindset. To get it done, it’s on you. Embracing the pressure, and the ‘get comfortable with being uncomfortable’ feeling. That’s what I admire from those two up there.”
That mentality was first developed in high school.
Before arriving at Western Michigan in 2019, Moore was among the WPIAL’s most electric athletes. As a senior, he led Shady Side Academy to a 9-0 record and Allegheny Conference championship that earned the top seed in the 2A playoffs. He ended up fracturing his ankle in the first round, but still finished high school as a two-time Allegheny Conference Offensive Player of the Year while becoming the first in WPIAL history to rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards in the regular season in back-to-back years. In total, Moore was responsible for 100 career touchdowns and more than 3,500 yards from scrimmage.
However, he didn’t garner the high-level interest one would normally expect from those kinds of numbers. Moore received 14 of his 15 scholarship offers in the spring of his senior year, ranging from mid-level FBS programs such as Western Michigan, Buffalo and Rice to the Ivy League’s Brown, Columbia and Yale to a list of FCS programs that included Robert Morris and Duquesne. He doesn’t know exactly why Big Ten or ACC programs didn’t come calling. Maybe it was his size (5 feet 9, 195 pounds) or Shady Side’s lack of quality 2A opponents. Although in hindsight, going under the radar ultimately was the best thing for him.
“It motivated me like crazy,” said Moore. “I knew I could play at that level. But at the end of the day, I had to make what I had work. I definitely think about it all the time, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I love it [at Western Michigan] and it feels like this is a great situation for me.
“I knew that wherever I went [to school], I was going crazy ASAP.”
And he did exactly that.
After originally committing to Western Michigan as a cornerback, Moore switched to receiver in the preseason and literally took off running. The shifty freshman pass catcher tore up opposing defenses as the Broncos went 6-0 at home and 5-3 in Mid-American Conference play. Moore was the first WMU receiver to earn first-team All-MAC honors since Corey Davis (Tennessee Titans) did it in 2016 — making him the conference’s third freshman to accomplish the feat since 1982. He ended the season with 51 catches for 802 yards (15.7 ypc) and three touchdowns in 12 starts, ranking fourth nationally in receiving among freshmen with three 100-plus yard performances.
All of it came in his first year playing a new position against far better competition than anything he faced in high school.
“It’s good to be in an offense that has this much splash,” said Moore. “We’ve got so much talent and so many ways to get the ball downfield. It’s been a fun ride.”
A ride of which is just getting started. Moore moved from outside receiver to the slot for his sophomore campaign, a position that better suits his frame and quick, shifty skill set. In two games thus far, he has caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, with the latter coming in Western Michigan’s wild win against Toledo last week. The Broncos scored 13 points in the final 45 seconds to prevail, 41-38, capped by a fake-spike touchdown that dominated the national news cycle. Moore was lined up on the play directly next to WMU receiver Jalen Hall, who then caught the winning pass to seal it.
“On the play before that, I told [Hall] he was going to have to win the game,” said Moore. “I saw what type of defense they were playing. They were taking me and the rest of the field away. I’m in the slot, so I usually get the safeties and the SAM linebackers, but the corner was lined up on me.
“I was thinking, ‘Wait, why is he on me?’ I looked up and Jaylen was wide open in the end zone.”
Moore has benefited this season from the presence of Bricen Garner, a redshirt senior safety for the Broncos who transferred from Pitt last year. After appearing in 33 games in three seasons at Pitt, the former Central Catholic star has brought a wealth of high-level experience to practice, which has rubbed off on Moore while the pair of local products go against each other.
“Just watching him play, he does a lot of elite, next-level stuff.,” said Moore. “The way he disguises coverages and the way he comes down. When I run a route against him, I see him react to what I’m doing before I even do it. I’m thinking like, ‘Damn, how did I give it away?’”
In response, Garner told Moore to focus on attacking his toes.
“Sometimes it makes the defensive back uncomfortable when [receivers] step up on our toes,” said Garner. “When they close the cushion on us, it makes us more uncomfortable because we need to read and react. ...We were going against each other from Day 1, always going back and forth trying to see who can out-leverage who.”
Garner already has 14 tackles this season as an integral part of Western Michigan’s defense. He and Moore are two of four Pittsburgh natives on the roster, joined by redshirt senior cornerback Therran Coleman (Pitt, Brashear) and freshman quarterback Jack Salopek (Norwin). Salopek is still in the developmental phase of his career, while Garner and Coleman will likely return in key roles for their extra season of eligibility from COVID-19.
From Moore’s perspective, he still has ways to go in order to leave the type of legacy at Western Michigan that he envisions for himself. But if he continues to exemplify the two angels who hang on his wall, then it’s safe to say the Skyy is the limit for him.
“I want people to be able to say that Skyy always came through because he put in the work,” Moore said. “I want to be the type of player that people talk about when I’m gone.”
First Published: November 18, 2020, 10:45 a.m.
