LOS ANGELES — Louis Moore’s football career has involved twists and turns at just about every point along his journey.
Indiana’s free safety has turned in a career year, recording a team-high six interceptions — tying for second-most in the country, and second-most in program history. He’s also made 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Moore earned second-team All-American status from the Associated Press for his efforts.
But for a player whose path looks like Moore’s, this sort of season could never come easily. The Mesquite, Texas native started his collegiate career at the junior college level after the high school recruiting process passed him by. He tore his ACL during that time at Navarro College. He overcame that and made a name for himself at Indiana in 2022-23, only to transfer to Ole Miss, struggle, and see less playing time.
‘Sweet Lou’ Moore overcame obstacles to become key player on Indiana’s defense
Moore returned to IU in the transfer portal last offseason, even though he appeared to exhaust his eligibility in 2024. But Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s lawsuit against the NCAA last year, challenging that years spent in JUCO shouldn’t count towards collegiate eligibility, provided Moore a path to an additional year of college football.
But after a summer workout, the safety was informed he was ineligible and would have to file his own lawsuit to regain eligibility. He never expected to hear anything like that.
“It was crazy,” Moore told The Daily Hoosier. “I ain’t never filed no lawsuit, thought about doing no lawsuit or nothing like that. But Indiana had my back through it all, so they made it easy for me.”
Moore connected with the legal team to help him through the process, while still practicing with the Hoosiers during fall camp.
In mid-August, he was granted a temporary restraining order in connection with the case to maintain eligibility while the legal process played out. That TRO was extended once, and the parties later agreed to a mutual extension following the TRO’s expiration. So the issue Moore and IU hoped to wrap up relatively quickly was thus pushed well into the season — the second extension bumped the ensuing hearing to late September, after IU had already played four games.
The safety said the longer the process went on, the better he felt about his chances.
“I felt like I was playing well at the beginning of the season, so I didn’t have no doubt that they were going to let me continue playing,” Moore told TDH. “How do you play two games, four games, and then say, ‘He’s done playing.’ I just didn’t see that happening.”
Moore, meanwhile, was playing for the Hoosiers with his status in limbo. He never knew if his next practice or game would be his last as a college athlete, and there was plenty happening away from the field to distract him.
But Moore said the situation helped him focus on the task at hand even more and give his best effort early in the season. He, along with his safety teammates, drew some criticism from Curt Cignetti in September for some coverage breakdowns that IU’s head coach clearly wanted to correct for Big Ten play. But Moore did record interceptions in each of Indiana’s first two games this year, and he recorded 1.5 TFLs against Kennesaw State.
“I needed this year, after the year I had last year. So I can say I was trying to give my all to the two games that I was guaranteed, the four games I was guaranteed,” Moore told TDH. “That would’ve been all I had to work off going into my next future, because obviously, I want to go to the pros. So that would’ve been all I had to show (on tape).”
Moore was ruled eligible for the remainder of the season during the week leading up to Indiana’s game at Iowa in late September. He was granted a temporary injunction in his case, which extended beyond the conclusion of the College Football Playoff.
That victory seemed to light another spark for the safety, as he followed that up with interceptions against Iowa and Oregon. Moore became a consistently reliable presence in Indiana’s secondary, going on to pick up All-Big Ten first team honors along with his All-American recognition. He came up with a massive interception in the Big Ten Championship Game victory over Ohio State, and now, he’ll look to come up clutch again in the Rose Bowl against Alabama.
“I’m really happy for Louis. He had to overcome some obstacles to get where he is today,” Cignetti said on a Zoom press conference on Dec. 22. “He had that NCAA thing hanging over his head during fall camp and the first three or four games of the season. So I’m sure that was a distraction. Once he got that behind him, boy, he really came on. And he’s got great ball skills and football instincts. And he’s been a huge part of our defensive success.”
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