Purdue’s Rondale Moore, a former Kentucky HS star, won’t play football in 2020
Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, a former high school football star at Trinity High School in Louisville, will not play college football this fall due to concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moore was considered to be a possible Heisman Trophy candidate coming into the 2020 season. He only played four games last season after suffering a knee injury, but was a concensus All-America selection following a freshman campaign in which he broke Purdue’s school record for all-purpose yards in a season (2,215), recorded 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns on 114 passes, and rushed for 213 yards and two TDs on 21 carries.
He is set to graduate from Purdue in December after two and a half years on campus, and plans to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft in the interim. Moore is projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s draft.
“My goals during my college experience were to earn a degree and prepare for a possible opportunity in the NFL,” Moore wrote in a letter addressed to Purdue fans. “ ... This is a bittersweet decision because I always assumed I had more great moments at Ross-Ade Stadium ahead of me, and I will greatly miss the entire community. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude.”
Moore in 2017 was named the Paul Hornung Award winner, one of the awards annually given to Kentucky’s best individual player. That year he led Trinity to a 15-0 record and the Class 6A championship; he set a school record with 104 receptions for 1,461 yards and 16 TDs that season.
Several players expected to be taken high in the 2021 NFL Draft have opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Among the high-profile players who’ve announced their decision to sit out are: Rashod Bateman (Minnesota wide receiver), Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech cornerback), Micah Parsons (Penn State linebacker) and Gregory Rousseau (Miami defensive lineman).
Three Southeastern Conference players have announced opt-out decisions. Two South Carolina offensive linemen, Mark Fox and Jordan Rhodes, won’t play in 2020, nor will Auburn linebacker Chandler Wooten.
As of Thursday, no Kentucky football players have opted out of the 2020 season.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Purdue’s Rondale Moore, a former Kentucky HS star, won’t play football in 2020."
