GAINESVILLE — Florida center Harrison Moore has always been a problem solver, approaching the classroom with the same tenacity as executing third-and-one on the football field.
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After studying industrial engineering at Georgia Tech, he switched his degree to mathematics at UF.
“It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but I’ve always loved math,” the well-spoken, studious 20-year-old said.
But before he got to college, Moore didn’t need to comprehend abstract algebra or advanced calculus to understand that something didn’t add up entering his senior season at Dallas-area football power Southlake Carroll. After the Dragons’ entire offensive line from a 14-1 team graduated, coach Riley Dodge turned to his starting tight end for a solution.
“My high school coach was like, ‘Look, we’re in some trouble,’” Moore recalled this week.
Moore soon found a home at his new position and, eventually, a future in the sport.
After catching six passes in two seasons, Moore never envisioned following in the footsteps of local legend Jason Witten, a record-setting tight end with the Cowboys. These days, quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. said his new center is projecting, “Jake Slaughter vibes.”
Moore deflected the lofty comparison with the Gators’ All-America center and second-round selection by the San Diego Chargers.
“He was a great leader, a really, really good football player,” Moore said. “I really don’t try to look at it as filling his shoes. I kind of just worry about what I can do to be the best version of myself.”
To succeed at center, Moore blended the brains of a math major with the athleticism of a former tight end, along with the toughness needed to thrive at the highest levels of Texas high school football. As a senior, he helped Southlake Carroll reach the 6A D-II semifinals.
After playing 184 total snaps as a true freshman at left guard, center and even some tight end, Moore found a permanent home at center last season and helped pave the way for an offense averaging an ACC-leading 6.98 per play, including a league-high 5.54 yards per rush.
Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner made a point to bring Moore from Atlanta to Gainesville to help spearhead his potent attack and fulfill his potential.
“Harrison Moore is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever had a chance to coach,” Faulkner said. “He’s now getting comfortable in his own skin. He’s starting to become a leader, a lot more vocal, and that’s very important for what we ask the center to do in this offense.”
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Moore, who arrived at Georgia Tech at 265 pounds, has blossomed in Rusty Whitt’s strength program.
During SEC Media Days in July, head coach Jon Sumrall singled out Moore and Penn State transfer guard TJ Shanahan as tone-setters in the weight room.
“Both kind of elevated maybe the rhythm that room marches to,” Sumrall said.
Moore knows he, Shanahan and their fellow O-linemen must continue to make strides if the Gators are to rebound from a four-win season.
Sumrall has repeatedly challenged the unit publicly to get ready for the rigors of the SEC.
“Obviously, you don’t want him to have to say that, but it’s just fuel to the fire,” Moore said. “That’s been a good challenge for us this summer — just fuel to the fire. Everybody was like, ‘So what? Now what? Let’s just put our heads down and grind and good things are going to happen.’”
Moore has risen to the occasion before.
His first college start was during the 2024 regular-season finale against two-time defending national champion Georgia. During an eight-overtime thriller, the Bulldogs prevailed 44-42.
Despite the loss, Moore emerged with newfound confidence.
“Playing against that type of competition as a true freshman, my second year playing offensive line, obviously was a lot of pressure,” he recalled. “But just going out there and knowing that if I put my mind to it, I can do whatever I want. That was really cool to see for myself.”
Moore built on the performance to start nine games in 2025, while not allowing a sack in 682 snaps.
On track to earn the starting job over 2024 USC transfer Jason Zandamela, Moore has capitalized on his knowledge of Faulkner’s complex scheme and embraced the familiarity of having former Georgia Tech teammates Aaron Philo, Bailey Stockton and Luke Harpring at UF.
Philo, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, sees something special in the player lining up in front of him.
“He’s got a dog mentality, there’s no other way to put it,” Philo said. “He’s a trench warrior. He’s going to give it everything he’s got every single play.”
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]