Miami Dolphins coaching search: 5 things to know about candidate Kellen Moore

Tua Tagovailoa and Kellen Moore are the last two left-handed quarterbacks to start a game in the NFL.

And now Moore is a candidate to coach Tagovailoa and the Dolphins.

It just so happens to be a coincidence that Tagovailoa and Moore were highly-accurate quarterbacks facing some skepticism about height and arm strength.

They are two of the most successful quarterbacks in college football history. And there isn't really much of an age gap, either: Tua is 23 and Moore is 33.

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Here are five things to know about Moore, a coaching prodigy:

Moore was raised in Washington State

Moore was raised in Prosser, Washington, a small town of about 5,700 known for its wineries. Kellen was raised by Kris and Tom Moore, a prominent high school football coach at Prosser High.

Kellen Moore played basketball and football in high school. Though he grew to only 5-foot-11, he was eventually named Washington Gatorade Player of the Year.

From a young age, Kellen determined that he would be a football player, but also a coach, like his father. He was consumed and obsessed by both missions.

Moore never was an explosive athlete. He relied heavily on his knowledge of the game and diligent preparation. According to multiple stories, Moore actually walked on his tiptoes through kindergarten, until surgery lengthened his too-short Achilles tendons.

Kellen met his wife Julie, a former three-sport athlete, in high school. They have two daughters and a son.

Student of the game

When Kellen Moore was a youngster, he would fill the hard drive of a TiVo in his home with 30 to 40 games, according to a Seattle Times article from 2006.

"For Christmas and birthdays, he'd ask for money so he could buy college and NFL game tapes," said Craig Beverlin, Tom Moore's longtime friend and Kellen's godfather.

According to a 2011 Sports Illustrated story, Moore said his father taught him how to understand the big picture of plays and how to teach.

"It was never just, 'You run a hitch route,’” Moore said. "It was more like, 'You run a hitch, and here's why you're running it and how it complements this other route. Here's how this coverage works, and what are its strengths and weaknesses.' He didn't just want to teach you your assignment. He wanted to teach you football."

For at least the final two seasons of his high school career, Moore called his own plays.

An unexpected star at Boise State

At Boise State, Moore set an FCS record with 50 wins. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes. He was a Heisman finalist and still is a local legend.

It was not expected.

Moore was not heavily recruited. He chose Boise State over Idaho and Eastern Washington and in general, felt he was overlooked because of his size.

According to The Athletic, before he got to Boise State, Moore found an old team playbook on eBay and used it to learn the offense. And in school, he slightly agitated roommates by deleting TV shows off their DVR to record college football games.

At Boise, Moore studied both communications and kinesiology.

Moore was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Lions. Then-coach Jim Caldwell opted to keep Dan Orlovsky over Moore as a backup quarterback.

Coincidentally, Caldwell could become a Dolphins head coaching candidate.

Moore joined the Cowboys, where he played two career games in three seasons, including one start in which he topped passing 400 yards.

In 2018, Moore retired, but quickly became Dallas quarterbacks coach.

Shooting star coaching career

After only one season as quarterbacks coach, Moore was promoted to offensive coordinator and play-caller in 2019, under Jason Garrett.

Quarterback Dak Prescott was a fan of the move.

"Genius phenom," Prescott said. "He's special. He knows a lot about the game, just the way he sees the game, the way he's ahead of the game. He can bring a lot to us, a lot of creativity."

In the last three seasons, Dallas' offense has ranked 6th, 17st, and 1st in the NFL.

The Cowboys now lead the NFL with 407 yards per game and 31.2 points per game.

Moore has benefitted from working with successful head coach Mike McCarthy. Players say Moore is intelligent, diligent and ahead of the curve in offensive approach.

Popular interview request

The Jaguars and Broncos are among the other NFL teams that have already requested head coach interview with Moore.

Yes, Moore is young. But he's also been preparing for this moment for a long time.

One thing Moore has always been consumed with is learning more about why successful people in various fields are so successful.

According to a Sports Illustrated article from 2011, among the many books Moore read on the topic included "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell and "Talent Is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin.

"There's no magic," Moore said. "A lot of times there's this misconception that people are just given this talent, that they never had to work hard to get where they are. It's that grueling, grinding, not-fun task, and to do it over and over. That's what successful people do."

Moore possesses a composed, poised demeanor.

"So calm, cool and collected,” junior slot receiver Tyler Shoemaker told the Idaho Statesman in 2010.

“He usually calms me down,” former Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “He’s like my therapist during games.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Kellen Moore of Dallas Cowboys is Miami Dolphins head coach candidate