With Johnny Jordan gone, Virginia Tech had a big opening at center heading into the offseason leading up to the 2023 season and not a clear replacement ready to go. While the transfer portal could have been an option, the Hokies, led by former OL coach Joe Rudolph, decided to shift guard Kaden Moore inside to center, a spot that he had never played as of the end of 2022. Of course, Rudolph left months later for a job at Notre Dame but Ron Crook decided to stick with having Moore at center.
In his first season at center, Moore had his ups and downs which shouldn't be a major surprise given the fact that he had never played the position prior to last year.
However, Moore made strides as the season progressed with some of his best games coming in the latter portion of the season. That includes two of his top 3 PFF grades coming in Tech's final five games of the season at Louisville (73.1) and against Tulane in the Military Bowl (69.1).
Most importantly, Moore gained some valuable experience that he could build on in refining his craft this offseason rather than simply trying to learn the position. That has Moore feeling a lot better about what he can do at center this offseason than last offseason.
"I feel honestly better than last year. I mean, never playing center last year and just jumping in, but after another year of practicing snapping and another year of just getting my steps down, I feel more comfortable with my brother (Braelin) on the side and Bob on my right. I feel good," Moore said.
Moore further mentioned that he needed to get the live experience to start to truly get comfortable before having an offseason where he could lean on his experience to further his development.
"I just feel like I just needed a year under my belt to just get everything down. I played guard for three-plus years and never, ever snapped a ball before that. Just getting that comfortability and I know training throughout the summer with these guys, I just feel like we’ve gotten better," Moore said.
OL coach Ron Crook also feels that Moore now has a better understanding of what it takes to play center and do so at a high level from snapping the ball to making the right calls.
"I think he understands the position now. He knows how to play the position. Things are coming a little bit more natural to him. He's able to see things a lot easier and a lot quicker. More than anything else, his leadership is developing unbelievably. He's our guy in there. He's the one that's making the first calls every play. He's ID'ing things, getting us going the right direction," Crook said.
Additionally, there's also a natural leadership role that a center can slide into off the field as well. Crook has been impressed with how Moore and veteran starting OT Parker Clements have stepped up this offseason as leaders within the offensive line room with guys gravitating to the work ethic that Moore and Clements are showing. They also have the proper understanding of what Crook wants from his offensive line.
"He and Parker (Clements) both have taken a lot of leadership all summer long with their workouts in the weight room. They had those guys doing extra video on their own. They would just go in and sit down and start watching, and guys would come in and join with them. Having guys who understand what we're trying to accomplish, not only on certain plays but with certain techniques, you can see those guys really rubbing off on the young guys," Crook said.
Kaden Moore had his ups and downs in his first season playing center at any level, but feels that experience is helping him make big strides entering his second season at the helm of the offensive line.
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