Ieremia Moore Becomes Final Piece of 2021 Class

Cal made one final offer in the 2021 class this past week, as they reevaluated their needs and had an opening for an edge player on the defensive line/outside linebacker spot. That offer went out to Ieremia Moore, a defensive lineman at St. John Bosco. Today, Moore announced his commitment to the Bears, becoming the 19th and likely final commitment of the 2021 class. His commitment is a capper to a recruitment marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, as due to a number of circumstances, Moore will not have played a down of organized football prior to signing with Cal.

READ: Cal offer makes big impression with DL Ieremia Moore

To be clear, Moore has practiced with St. John Bosco over the last year and a half. He came to the states from New Zealand in September of 2019, but since he moved without his parents, he was ruled ineligible by the California Interscholastic Federation for an entire calendar year. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and football in California was postponed until the spring, which delayed Moore's opportunities to earn scholarship opportunities even further. The Cal offer earlier this week, after the Bears hosted him on a virtual tour earlier in the month, was something Moore decided to jump on.

"It’s a blessing, not only relieving," Moore told Golden Bear Report, "but a big blessing in my eyes. I haven’t been given the opportunity to show it on the field yet, but I think that they’re going to receive someone that will work their butt off, I’m not the type to go out there and try to be flashy, but I’ll always be the first one in the weight room, the last one out of the weight room, and I’ll work my butt off."

In Moore, Cal is getting a player to work with, one without much in the on-field experience department, but at 6'4" and 265 lbs, he has the length and twitch factor to play anywhere from a stand-up outside linebacker (a la Tevin Paul and Braxten Croteau) to a five technique defensive end, to an interior lineman in some packages. Rivals.com analyst Adam Gorney noted when he saw Moore last August that: "(he) looks like he’s spent the pandemic in the weight room." The size and athleticism Moore has (having played rugby) made him pique Cal's attention last January, and got him back on their radar in order to land his commitment.

"They really like the combination of my size and athleticism," Moore said, "I'm probably on the bigger side for an outside linebacker, but they believe that I have the right traits to rush off the edge, set the edge, make the plays they need me to make, and I think what they like most is not just the versatility or me playing outside linebacker, defensive end, and 3-tech, but that the best football is still ahead of me, and the only way I'm going to be able to reach that is by working hard, working my butt off. They think they can help me reach that and want to develop me into the player that can make those plays in the future."

Moore, a three-star defensive lineman, joins Derek Wilkins, Akili Calhoun, and Myles Williams along the line in the 2021 class. Since the introduction of the early signing period in December of 2017, Moore is only the second high school player to sign in February, as WR Monroe Young was the first.

1. WR Mavin Anderson, Mission Viejo, CA (February 1st, 2020)

2. OL Bastian Swinney, Edina, MN (February 8th, 2020)

3. TE Jermaine Terry, Richmond, CA (February 24th, 2020)

4. DE Akili Calhoun, Brentwood, CA (March 7th, 2020)

5. QB Kai Millner, Gilbert, AZ (April 9th, 2020)

6. CB Kaleb Higgins, Folsom, CA (April 14th, 2020)

7. S Hunter Barth, Queen Creek, AZ (April 23rd, 2020)

8. DB Fatuvalu Iosefa, Mililani, HI (June 12th, 2020)

9. WR J. Michael Sturdivant, Flower Mound, TX (July 4th, 2020)

10. ILB Moses Oladejo, Elk Grove, CA (July 19th, 2020)

11. OL Dylan Jemtegaard, Yelm, WA (July 20th, 2020)

12. OL Ryan Lange, Pittsburg, CA (July 25th, 2020)

13. DL Myles Williams, Mission Hills, CA (July 31st, 2020)

14. OLB Patrick Hisatake, Portland, OR (August 2nd, 2020)

15. DB Lu-Magia Hearns, Pittsburg, CA (August 6th, 2020)

16. DL Derek Wilkins, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (August 8th, 2020)

17. TE Keleki Latu, Carmichael, CA (August 13th, 2020)

18. LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Hayward, CA (October 3rd, 2020)

19. DL Ieremia Moore, Bellflower, CA (January 31st, 2021)

By Position

QB - 1

WR - 2

TE - 2

OL - 3

DL - 4

LB - 3

DB - 4

By State

CA - 12

AZ - 2

WA - 1

HI - 1

MN - 1

OR - 1

TX - 1