Derek Moye already has established himself as one of the elite wideouts in Penn State[apos]s glorious gridiron history, but the former Rochester High School all-state star and state champion sprinter is poised for an even bigger season in the fall. A probable All-America candidate, Moye is coming off a superb junior season that saw him lead the Nittany Lions with 53 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. A Phil Steele[apos]s College Football Preview preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection, he hauled in a touchdown in seven of the last eight games, including the final five contests. Moye brings outstanding size, skills and speed to the offense. The crisp route runner and prolific leaper is a big-play threat on every snap. He was second in the Big Ten with a 16.7 yards per catch average, was fifth in the conference in receiving yardage (68.1 ypg) and tied for ninth in receptions last year. Moye also moved among the Penn State career leaders with 104 receptions (11th), 1,741 receiving yards (11th) and 15 touchdown receptions (5th tie). He needs 22 receptions and 266 yards to move into the Top 5 on both lists. A 2010 honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection, Moye[apos]s hard work in the off-season has him prepared for a huge senior season. He already has established himself as a player with the talent and toughness to be a game-changer. Moye opened the calendar year with a game-high five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown against Florida in the Outback Bowl on New Year[apos]s Day. A starter in every game for the past two seasons, Moye uses his size and speed to present matchup problems for opposing secondaries. A four-sport standout at Rochester HS, Moye won the 200 (:22.15) and 400-meter (:48.04) Class AA state titles at the 2007 Pennsylvania state track and field championships. A cousin, Rocky Washington, played for the Nittany Lions during the 2000s. Moye is on schedule to graduate in December.
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2010 • SENIOR SEASON
Moye had a superb junior season that saw him lead the Nittany Lions with 53 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. A starter in every game, Moye made at least one touchdown catch in seven of the last eight contests, including the final five. He was second in the Big Ten with a 16.7 yards per catch average, was fifth in the conference in receiving yardage (68.1 ypg) and tied for ninth in receptions. Moye also moved among the Penn State career leaders with 104 receptions (11th), 1,741 receiving yards (11th) and 15 touchdown receptions (5th tie). His 53 receptions and 885 yards were good for fifth- and sixth-best, respectively, on the school season lists. An honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection, Moye gained a game-high 69 receiving yards on his three catches at No. 1 Alabama, including a 31-yard first-quarter pass from Rob Bolden. He made four catches for 87 yards in the win over Kent State. His 55-yard catch in the first quarter was a career-long at the time and led to a touchdown in the 24-0 win. Moye posted his fourth career 100-yard receiving game against Illinois, making three catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. His 80-yard catch and run against the Illini was a career-long and the Nittany Lions[apos] longest play from scrimmage since Stephfon Green had an 80-yard TD catch against Michigan in 2008. In his three-reception, 81-yard performance at Minnesota, Moye caught touchdown passes of 42 and nine yards from Matt McGloin. He caught three passes for a game-high 72 yards in the primetime win over Michigan. His 40-yard catch and run from McGloin converted a key third down, keeping an early third-quarter drive alive. Moye had five receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown, a 36-yard connection with McGloin to knot the game at 21-all in the historic comeback victory over Northwestern. Moye caught four passes for 36 yards at Ohio State, including a six-yard touchdown for a 14-3 second-quarter lead. He had a team-high six receptions for 90 yards and one touchdown against Indiana. Moye had his first two carries of the season, totaling 38 yards, including a 27-yard reverse, against the Hoosiers. In the Michigan State game, he caught five passes for 65 yards and one touchdown, a four-yard scoring toss from McGloin late in the game. He also forced and recovered the first fumble of his career in the fourth quarter. Moye made a game-high five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown against Florida in the Outback Bowl, giving him at least one TD catch in each of the last five games. He had a five-yard touchdown catch for a 7-0 lead and hauled in a 44-yard catch to set up a go-ahead touchdown late in the third period. Moye was on the field for 714 snaps, topped by 71 in the comeback win over Northwestern and 71 against the Gators.
2009 • JUNIOR SEASON
Any questions as to how the Penn State receiving corps would fare after losing three of its most prolific pass catchers in program history to graduation were quickly answered in the season-opener with Akron. In his first career start, Moye set career-highs with six receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown, averaging 23.0 yards per catch. The 138 receiving yards were a 2009 team season-high and the most by a Nittany Lion since Deon Butler posted a school-record 216 yards against Northwestern in 2006. Moye made four receptions of 20 yards or more against the Zips, including a leaping 42-yard effort to get the Lions deep into Akron territory and set up a touchdown late in the first half for a 31-0 lead. The game was the first of numerous superb performances by Moye, who earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition. Starting every game, he led the team with 48 receptions for 785 yards (16.4) and had six touchdown catches. Moye was ninth in the Big Ten in receiving yardage at 60.4 ypg and his 16.4-yard average per catch was second-highest among the conference[apos]s top 10 receivers. His 48 receptions were tied for No. 7 in school season history and his 785 receiving yards were good for No. 13. He led the squad with 16 receptions of 20 yards or more. The six-catch effort against Akron would be the first of four contests where Moye made half a dozen grabs, including three consecutive victories. He led the team with six receptions for 120 yards in the 20-0 Homecoming win over Minnesota. Moye made a superb 12-yard diving touchdown catch and managed to drag a foot in bounds to give the Lions a 13-0 lead near the end of the first half. He made six catches the following week in the 35-10 win at Michigan. All six catches came in the first 20 minutes to significantly help the offense get off to a fast start. Moye tied his career-high for the third consecutive game with six receptions at Northwestern, gaining 123 yards. The 100-yard receiving game was his third of the year. Moye streaked past his defender down the sideline and grabbed a 53-yard scoring strike from Daryll Clark in the fourth quarter to give the Nittany Lions a 27-13 lead. The 53-yard reception was the longest of his career. Moye made a four-yard touchdown catch against Temple, made two catches for 48 yards against Iowa and had a 25-yard scoring grab against Eastern Illinois. In the 42-14 victory at Michigan State, Moye was active in the offensive outburst, hauling in four receptions for 56 yards to help Clark accumulate 310 passing yards. Moye grabbed a 37-yard touchdown catch to give Penn State a 7-0 lead in the Capital One Bowl win over LSU. He made three catches for 53 yards against the Tigers. Moye saw action on 660 snaps, the second-highest total among skill position players, led by 62 against Minnesota.
2008 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Moye saw action in 12 games, making three catches for 71 yards and one touchdown. His 23.7-yard average led the squad. Moye[apos]s first collegiate touchdown came on a 33-yard catch and run at Syracuse, on a ball thrown by Paul Cianciolo. He also made a 27-yard catch against Coastal Carolina and an 11-yard grab against Indiana. Moye saw action on 92 plays, topped by 23 against Coastal Carolina and 20 against the Orange.
2007 • FRESHMAN SEASON
Redshirt season.
HIGH SCHOOL
A three-time first-team all-state selection at Rochester HS, Moye was a prolific runner and receiver for Coach Gene Matsook. The 2005 Western Pennsylvania district Class A Player-of-the-Year, Moye helped Rochester to the 2004 state championship game, was a Big 33 Classic selection and two-time conference MVP. During his senior season, he ran for 1,205 yards on 158 carries and scored 20 touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 430 yards and five scores. He also had three touchdowns on returns and grabbed three interceptions, while making 64 tackles, as a senior. As a junior, he had 24 receptions for 536 yards and nine scores. Moye was the 200-meter (:22.15) and 400-meter (:48.04) Class AA state champion at the 2007 Pennsylvania track and field championships. He also earned first-team all-section honors in basketball and baseball.
PERSONAL
Full name is Derek Robert Moye. He is the son of Jeramie and Diane Moye. He has an older brother, Jermaine, who played football at West Virginia and California (Pa.), earning PSAC West first-team honors in 2007. A cousin, Rocky Washington, played football for the Nittany Lions in the 2000s. Moye enjoys playing video games. He is enrolled in the parks, recreation and tourism management program. Born August 12, 1988 in Rochester, Pa.