Selma High School senior Aderick Moore doesn’t fit the stereotype of most highly recruited football stars, who study football first and worry about school later. On the field, he’s everything a coach could want at linebacker — a tackling machine that can rush the quarterback and lead a defense.

Off the field, he’s a gifted student with a 4.0 GPA that takes his work in the classroom just as seriously.  Moore’s rare combination of athleticism and intelligence are one of many reasons he has been named the Times-Journal’s Player of the Year.

“My mom, she’s a big supporter of my athletic ability but she always says there’s life after football, and you may not play football for your whole entire life, so you have to have something to fall back on,” Moore said.

He already knows that he wants to pursue a degree in architectural engineering; although he’s not sure what college he will attend yet. Not that that’s going to be a problem — Moore has offers from about a dozen college football programs and has drawn interest from many others.

He finished the season with 100 total tackles, eight sacks, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He also scored four times on the offensive side on rushing touchdowns.

“He doesn’t take plays off, and he’s a competitor,” said Dallas County head coach Marty Smith, whose Hornets fell to Moore and the Saints 13-6 this season. “That’s the ultimate compliment a coach can give a player is when they walk off the field after the game and can look at other coaches and say ‘You know what, that kid competes every down.’”

College coaches have obviously noticed that too, considering Moore has offers from Tennessee-Chattanooga, Louisiana Lafayette, Georgia Southern, Tennessee State, Alabama State, Jacksonville State and Alabama A&M among others. He said UAB and Army have also showed some interest.

Right now, he’s not sure where he wants to play collegiately, but he’s narrowing a timetable for a decision.

“I’m still undecided right now,” Moore said. “I guess I was going to wait until college football kind of winds down and comes to an end.”

Selma head coach Leroy Miles said there was a time when Moore was a quiet kid, but he quickly blossomed into a leader for the Saints. He said he never had to worry about Moore going to class or acting right and he was an on-field leader for the Saints, who led with his actions.

“I always use him for an example,” Miles said. “It’s probably a reason some people don’t like him. I want everybody to be like him in terms of discipline and academics.”

Moore was a key asset on a Saints’ team that allowed 19.9 points per game this season, which was the fewest in the county.  Selma held half of their opponents to under 16 points, including shutouts against Keith and Ellwood Christian.

“We had a lot of chemistry from over the previous years and we bonded like brothers,” Moore said.

“We were like a family, and I can say we worked hard. We pushed one another inside the school to make sure we got our work together. We bought in and practiced hard.”

Finalists for player of the year included Keith running back Domonique Jones, Dallas County linebacker Delando Atchison, Southside quarterback Khamari Gibbs, Southside wide receiver DeQuan Johnson and Morgan Academy quarterback Harrison Adams.