Former Hampton University football star remains resilient in quest to make a pro roster

KeShaun Moore is waiting for someone to take a chance on him.

The former Hampton University football standout hasn’t had any luck thus far making a professional roster. Nevertheless, he’s back in Hampton Roads training each day in hopes a call will come.

“I’m just being ready for whenever I do get a phone call,” said Moore, a Nansemond-Suffolk Academy product. “I’m always gonna be working out, lifting weights (and) doing stuff. So I’ll always be in shape, I could get a call 10 years from now and I’ll still play. Whenever that call comes, I’ll be ready.”

Moore made the most of his senior season, leading the Pirates’ defense with 5.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss on his way to an All-CAA second-team selection.

The NFL draft came and went in April and Moore’s name wasn’t called. He did get two rookie minicamp invitations from the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears and ultimately decided to join the Colts, he said.

“I was excited just to be able to go and try to showcase my talents,” Moore said. “I learned a lot within a few days there. They showed us around the facility, but they showed us kind of how to maneuver to and from practice, in and out of meetings and things like that. So it was really cool.”

Although he believed he performed well in his few days in Indianapolis, an opportunity to remain with the team never materialized. But before Moore knew it, he had another shot at professional football — this time, it came north of the border.

One day after returning from his time with the Colts, Moore found himself flying to Canada for training camp with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. And yes, he received the stereotypical Canadian hospitality while he was there.

“The people in general, they were great,” Moore said. “Within the team and organization, the players, coaching staff, trainers, it was a great experience. I learned a lot even in my short time there. I was there for about a month, but I felt like I was there for much longer. I bonded really well with a lot of the guys. I still talk to a good few of them now. Learned a lot about just being a pro and how to carry yourself and how to go about things.”

Despite the differences in rules between the CFL and American football, Moore felt he adapted well during his time with the Roughriders. The only major changes he faced were the flow of the game and differences in line-of-scrimmage rules.

“Football is football, I go out and play my game no matter who it’s against or what league or what team,” Moore said. “But I think the biggest difference for sure — especially playing D-line and up front — is being a yard off the ball because timing is everything and timing changes a whole lot playing down here as opposed to up there. You’ve got to rush differently, you’ve got to set up moves differently.”

Even in Canada, though, Moore couldn’t find a sticking point on the roster and was cut on June 4.

Even though he’s come up short on his pro football opportunities, Moore is taking it in stride and remaining positive.

“I don’t know anything else but to keep going,” Moore said. “Stopping or giving up really isn’t something I’ve ever done. So I wasn’t really too down on myself. I wasn’t beating myself up, I wasn’t sad or mad or upset. “

Hampton head coach Robert Prunty said Moore’s attitude toward the situation just shows how relentless he is when in pursuit of his goals.

“He’s resilient,” Prunty said. “When he pursues something, he’s all in. He’s one of those guys where he’s not going to quit. He’s going to give it everything he has.”

Moore received interest from an XFL team before the league’s rookie draft on June 16, Prunty said. Unfortunately, he wasn’t picked and then had to pull out of the XFL HBCU Showcase a day after the draft due to a minor injury.

Prunty said he’s shocked Moore hasn’t found a solid opportunity in pro football yet, adding that it’s partially an indictment of the way the NFL scouts HBCU players. Only one HBCU player got selected in this year’s NFL draft.

“He bench-pressed (225 pounds) 40 times and ran a 4.7 (40-yard dash),” Prunty said. “If you look at players in the (NFL) combine who did that, all those players were drafted. The NFL needs to take a serious look at how they’re going about the evaluation of HBCU players … there’s more HBCU players than just one that should’ve been drafted.”

If football doesn’t work out for Moore, he could join the WWE. Moore signed with the wrestling league’s “Next In Line” NIL program during his final year at Hampton, essentially leaving the door open for a wrestling career whenever the time comes.

But at 24, Moore said he still feels like there is plenty of football left in him and doesn’t plan on hanging up his cleats just yet.

“I don’t want to give up on playing football too early,” Moore said. “Just because it’s always been my dream and something I’ve been working for. But I think there will come a point in time where if I’m not getting any calls or if that window is starting to close for me, then I’ll make that decision. But to me, either way, I think it’d be a dream come true. And I’ll be excited to do both.”

With all the adversity he’s faced in the past few months, you’d think Moore would show signs of wanting to give up. But that’s simply not in his DNA.

“Adversity is nothing new to me,” Moore said. “I just keep going. Adversity isn’t going to last forever. I’ll just keep going because there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. So I just keep working, do what I need to do, handle what I need to take care of and I’ll just let things take care of themselves.”

Moore may be without a team for now, but Prunty still thinks there’s a chance Moore will land on a professional roster eventually.

“He’s a high-character guy, a hard worker and most of all, he’s a good person,” Prunty said. “He’ll resurface because he’s resilient. He’s a tough young man, not only mentally, but he’s also tough physically.”

Michael Sauls, 757-803-5775, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com