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Purdue's 2020 recruiting class has 16 commitments. And none are faster--or potentially more impactful--than Marcellus Moore.
The 5-8, 165-pound three-star Rivals.com prospect is a diminutive speedster with big-play ability. Sounds a lot like current sophomore Boilermaker Rondale Moore. Like Rondale Moore, Marcellus Moore--who committed in July--projects to play slot receiver and return kicks.
"Rondale being there definitely had an influence on him," said Plainfield (Ill.) North coach Anthony Imbordino, who took over the program in January from Tim Kane after serving as an assistant at Oswego High and Romeoville High. Plainfield, Ill., is located about 38 miles southwest of Chicago on I-55.
Moore is rated the No. 8 player in Illinois by Rivals.com. He also had offers from Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky, among others. But he chose Purdue, which has a commitment from one other wideout in the Class of 2020: Collin Sullivan.
Purdue is getting an athlete with world-class speed. Moore is the defending 100-meter state champion, running a 10.39, but he has run as fast as 10.31 in the 100 and 20.88 in the 200.
GoldandBlack.com spoke with Imbordino to get the low-down on Moore.
GoldandBlack.com: What is Marcellus good at?
Imbordino: His work ethic stands out. What I have learned working with him the last nine months, his coach-ability has stood out. We will put him all over the field this year. You may tell him to play one position one play, switch to another, then go play special teams. He just jumps right to it.
GoldandBlack.com: Is he a leader?
Imbordino: He is always very positive with all of his teammates, even the underclassmen. He wants this to be a close program. He has done a good job being a coachable athlete. And he is a good example and has great character for the younger athletes to look up to.
GoldandBlack.com: Give me a sense of how fast he is.
Imbordino: He can play. He has world-class speed. He was just in South America in the Pan-American Games running a world-record time. You have a guy who is special who will probably make an Olympic Team on the relays if he keeps at it. He was all over the place this summer, racing in Oregon, Texas, Florida and South America. His speed is unbelievable. You really don’t realize how fast he is when he is running drills until you are actually out there. I have coached football for 15 years, and watching him work his breaks, it is scary fast. He is quick, he is fast. He is shorter, but with the way football is going, you see these little guys making a big impact on a big stage. And he has that type of potential.
GoldandBlack.com: How good will Plainfield North be in 2019?
Imbordino: We play in 8A, the largest classification in Illinois. We have about 2,100 kids. This is a high socioeconomic area. But the program is coming off a 4-5 record, the worst in school history. We are hungry. We just had summer camp. We are in an IHSA dead period now. We have about four Division I kids on our team. They all have been pretty excellent at what we want to do this summer. His senior class is very good. We put him on defense sometimes, and he needs work at cornerback. But that’s just repetition at this point. We put him in some packages, some third-and-longs in case someone goes down or if we play a team we feel he matches up better with.
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GoldandBlack.com: What does he need to improve?
Imbordino: He has had a great summer. I can’t think of anything he needs to improve on. He will be a three-year starter on the varsity. As a freshman, they went to the state championship. He came along for the ride, I think. They had him at running back last year for the majority of the time. We will put him all over the place this year. But slot receiver is where he will kind of be. He will run back kickoffs for us and punts, as well.
GoldandBlack.com: Will Marcellus graduate early?
Imbordino: Yes. I think his plan is to graduate early and be there (at Purdue) in the spring to run track. He wants to redshirt in track in the spring but still run in three meets. I think you are OK to redshirt in track after three meets. We are figuring it out right now with the guidance office.
GoldandBlack.com: Will he go through spring football?
Imbordino: I think he said he’s gonna do both. I don’t know how that’s gonna work. I haven’t talked to the Purdue coaches. It could be tough to do both.
GoldandBlack.com: What kind of kid is Marcellus?
Imbordino: He is so humble. You would never know he was a top national recruit who had world-class speed if you met him on the street or in school. He is well-grounded. Great kid.
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