Twitter: @CoachMooreVMI
Chris Moore begins his fourth season at VMI and will handle tight ends in addition to serving as the special teams coordinator.
Under Moore, the past three years, special teams units played an integral role in helping VMI attain a Southern Conference title and back-to-back winning seasons during that time span. The kickoff unit in 2019 finished #1 in the SoCon and #10 nationally giving up only 16.45 yds/return with 13 Tackles inside the 20. The kickoff return unit also finished #1 in the SoCon and #6 nationally averaging 24.3 yards/return.
Moore mentored sophomore kick returner Korey Bridy, who in 2019 finished #5 nationally and #1 in the SoCon averaging 27.7 yards/return to help him earn 1st Team All-SoCon Honors | Phil Steele. The punt block unit blocked two kicks in the same season for first time since 2014, finishing tied for first in the SoCon and tied for 11th in the FCS. The punt unit climbed 61 spots nationally from the 2018 season to achieve a 35.28-yard net, which was a six-yard improvement from 2018.
Long snapper Robert Soderholm earned 2019 Hero Sports 1st Team Sophomore All-America honors and in the spring of 2021 earned first team Stats Perform FCS All-America. Senior place kicker Grant Clemons earned back-to-back 2019 SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors following weeks 6 and 7 for his performances against The Citadel and Samford.
Moore was the assistant head coach at Indiana Wesleyan for two seasons and was the run game coordinator and helped build the offense into one of the top scoring offenses in the country averaging 39.7 points/game which ranked eighth nationally. He previously served three seasons at Trinity International University (Ill.) as offensive coordinator in 2016 and run game and co-offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Moore also held assistant coach positions at Alderson-Broaddus (WV) from 2010-2013 and also served a brief stint at West Virginia Wesleyan as running backs and tight end coach.
Moore is a Liberty University graduate after playing three seasons on the offensive line at William & Mary. In 2010, Moore was a student assistant with the Liberty University staff working on the defensive side of the ball.
“Chris is an outstanding instructor and great encourager,” said VMI head coach Scott Wachenheim. “Last season our kickoff coverage unit was ranked 22nd in the nation and several of our special team performers were recognized on All-Conference and All-American teams.”
