After following Josh Heupel from Central Florida to Tennessee, backup quarterback Gaston Moore re-entered the transfer portal following this past season.
Now, Moore has finally found a home. He has signed with South Florida, according to a report from Pete Nakos on On3.
This teams Moore back up with his former offensive coordinator at both UCF and UT. Alex Golesh enters his third season as head coach of the Bulls after going a combined 14-12 with two bowl wins in his first pair of seasons.
Moore joins a quarterback room that features returning redshirt junior Byrum Brown, returning two-sport (baseball) star Bryce Archie, three-star freshman Locklan Hewlett and three-star redshirt freshman Marcelis Tate.
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Moore was a true freshman at UCF under Heupel and Golesh in 2020 before the staff made the move to Knoxville. He followed his coaches, joining Tennessee as a redshirt freshman in the 2021 campaign. His first season, he served as the fourth-string quarterback behind Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton III and Harrison Bailey.
In 2022, he remained the fourth-string quarterback behind Hooker, Milton and freshman Tayven Jackson. By the time 2023 rolled around, Moore was a redshirt junior, but had made a one-spot leap on the depth chart. With Milton named the starter and Nico Iamaleava entering his freshman season, Moore was placed as the third-string quarterback.
This past season, Moore was a redshirt senior who earned a spot as the second-string quarterback over freshman Jake Merklinger. He played in six games while completing 16-of-27 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. This included playing the second half in a win over Mississippi State and relieving Iamaleava for a short period in the win over Alabama.
In his career, Moore completed 26-of-44 passes for two touchdowns and three picks. He also rushed for 22 yards on six attempts.
Moore is able to compete this season for USF due to taking advantage of the additional season of eligibility given to those who competed during the 2020 season that was altered by COVID-19. He will take a redshirt for one of the seasons at Tennessee, where he did not appear in more than four games.
