Why Is Larry Johnson So High On Jason Moore?

When he signed with Ohio State last year, defensive lineman Jason Moore was one of the top prospects in the 2023 recruiting class. He came to Columbus with heaping expectations, but like many defensive linemen before him, he redshirted and spent the bulk of his freshman season on the scout team.

Moore played mostly as a defensive end in a 3-4 alignment in high school, so not only was he stepping up from high school to college, he was also learning a new position.

It was a position that Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson started preparing him for even back during recruiting. Most schools were telling Moore he could stay at defensive end, but it was Johnson who always “kept it real” with him by telling him he was probably going to end up inside.

“I mean, he’s 6-5, he’s 295 pounds,” Johnson said this week. “He’s the ideal three-tech in our system, right? And it’s just a matter of having confidence and playing. Sometimes it is bigger than you think it is, and it kind of sets you back. Now in the spring, we’re challenging him, and I’m just telling you every day is a good day for Jason Moore.”

Johnson spent 10-15 minutes with reporters on Tuesday and brought up Moore’s name time and again. When coaches bring up players’ names unprompted, it is generally a sign that they are standing out.

How has Moore made that happen?

“Honestly, just coming in every day just ready to work,” Moore said on Thursday. “Going as hard as I can to make myself better, to make my teammates better, to make the O-line better. And just doing extra things on the side too. Just getting extra work in. All our D-line guys do that. Come and get extra work in on the side. Watch film with Coach. I think that’s what makes us even better.”

Moore was a summer enrollee last year, so this is his first spring camp. While some classmates are in the middle of their 15th month at Ohio State, Moore is just in his 10th. He has been catching up quickly, however.

“This is definitely a process that you’ve got to understand, you have to grow into,” he said. “You have to understand that this needs to be done at this type of level, especially at Ohio State, a school like this. All the extra work needs to be done for you to have progress.”

Now that Moore is starting to see his extra work pay off, it has only convinced him that there is more work to be done.

“Just seeing that when all of the extra work comes into place and it helps me, it just makes me understand I need to do even more to get to where I want to be,” he said.

When Larry Johnson calls somebody the “ideal” at a particular position, it definitely makes people stand up and take notice. At 6-foot-5, Moore is taller and longer than most defensive tackles. His background as a defensive end also hints at his athleticism and pass rushing history.

“I’d say my size is a factor,” Moore said regarding Johnson’s remarks about being the ideal three tech defensive tackle in Ohio State’s defense. “My length is kind of unreal to see a guy my size at three tech, especially my arm length.”

How does his size and arm length help him?

“Just coming off the ball, being able to create space, make that penetration, and just being able to build off of that,” he explained. “So many different moves and different skills you can do, and it’s just kind of unreal. It’s not just like a talent type of thing, it’s just a God-given kind of gift.”