One of the fastest rising stars in Western Pennsylvania will go coast-to-coast in the month of March.
Larry Moon III, a highly-touted defensive back in the Class of 2027 out of Aliquippa, returned home this week after flying out to The Golden State with unofficial visits to the University of Southern California (USC) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
While taking his early morning visit to USC on March 4, Moon III received an offer from the program, increasing his sheet to 16 offers. The young WPIAL talent has quickly become a hot commodity for college programs.
“It’s exciting to gain interest from schools,” Moon III told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I’ve been working hard my whole life. My dad has been documenting my progress ever since I was 4 years old.”
Moon III had an opportunity to check out the history of the USC program, including tape of the legendary Reggie Bush, he says. He also had the chance to connect with head coach Lincoln Riley and the rest of the staff.
“The coaches were all top tier and I got to personally share time with coach [Lincoln Riley],” Moon III said. “He was so laid back and great. We had an amazing conversation about the school, the education and networking of USC. Coach made me feel at home. I really enjoyed being at USC.”
After spending Monday morning with the Trojans, Moon III made the 12-mile afternoon trip across town to visit UCLA.
Although he doesn’t hold an offer from the Bruins, Moon III relished in the experience even with the current turnover in the program.
“UCLA was a vibe,” he said. “Everything is changing with that program for the best – all new coaching staff and seems like players and staff are pumped. Campus was beautiful. It was fun to reconnect with coach [Billy] Fessler. He offered me while he was at Akron, so to see a familiar face was cool.”
The stops at elite programs didn’t stop for Moon III as he then paid a visit to Ohio State on Tuesday, March 5. Moon III was blown away by the Buckeyes’ coaching staff.
“It was amazing,” he said. “Coach [Ryan] Day gets you fired up listening to him speak to the team and when I got to spend time in his office with him, the conversation was amazing and the advice he gave about talent and skill was on time.
“Got to speak with coach [Tim] Walton and coach [Garren] DuHart. I loved the convo with them. It was the realist conversation a coach can give to a player,” Moon III continued.
Moon III, who still awaits an official offer from OSU, also had the chance to talk with head strength coach Mickey Marotti, he says. Marotti provides the perfect connection for a player that hails from Beaver County as he is an Ambridge, Pa. native.
After traveling across the country and back, Moon III will next take a visit to his hometown team, the Pitt Panthers, on Friday, March 8.
Pitt was the first offer for the 6-foot 180-pound talent before he even played a snap of high school football. Now, he has an opportunity to further his relationship with the program.
“I’m still in the building stages with Pitt. Being that I’m still young, they can’t communicate with me yet, unless I’m on campus or camping,” he said.
When Moon III suits up in the fall, he’ll be back donning the Aliquippa colors after transferring back from Central Catholic.
“I’m so happy to be playing with the guys I grew up with,” he said. “I loved my teammates at Central, but it’s just different wearing red and black. My school has a history of putting out some of the best DB’s to play the game, and I’m hoping to be next.”
The Quips have sent a pipeline of defensive back talent to Pitt, which includes Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis and NFL prospect M.J. Devonshire. Pitt will also add another Quip in Cam Lindsey this fall.
“That offer is major. I’ve watched guys from my school go to Pitt and have some of the best success.”
As a defensive back recruit, Moon III feels he can make an impact all over the gridiron.
“I’m a blanket type of player,” he said. “I can cover in physical, I can travel, I’m a football player. I can do anything on the field.”
Moon III is one of several WPIAL athletes that are garnering recognition from Power 4 schools in the Class of ’27. Khalil Taylor (Seton LaSalle), Carter Bonner (Imani Christian), Armand Hill (West Mifflin) and Jance Henry Jr. (Central Valley) are amongst some of the top talent from the class, continuing the recent saturation of players that are receiving high-end interest.
Along with USC and Pitt, Moon III holds offers from Akron, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Troy, UCF, UNLV, WVU and Wisconsin.
Following his visit with Pitt this week, Moon III will take trips to Penn State (March 12), Florida State (March 19), Duke (March 22), Indiana (March 23), WVU (April 2), Syracuse (April 6) and Wisconsin (April 13).
The kid is entitled to go on all visits, but does USC under riley even play defense?