Georgia Tech transfer center Harrison Moore, No. 52, has quickly made a favorable impression on coaches and teammates. (Photo: Ethan Roy/UAA Communications)
Harrison Moore Lost a Tooth, Found His Position
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In his first preseason camp with the Gators, junior center Harrison Moore flashed a toothy grin toward the cameras on Tuesday, his introduction to the local media.
Two years ago, in his first preseason camp at Georgia Tech, Moore's smile was missing a key ingredient: a tooth.
He had a tooth knocked out during practice, and when Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key noticed Moore had taken himself out of a play to scan the turf for the missing chopper, he demanded to know what was going on.
Moore tried to explain before feeling the need to return to the huddle quickly. When Key saw blood gushing from Moore's mouth and down his chin, he took a different tone.
The tooth was eventually found and saved, and Moore didn't miss a practice as he cracked the lineup as a true freshman and became the starting center as a sophomore.
"Harrison Moore is one of the toughest guys I've ever had a chance to coach,'' said Gators offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, Georgia Tech's offensive coordinator the past three seasons before joining first-year Gators head coach Jon Sumrall at UF. "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."
The offseason addition of Moore to Florida's revamped offensive line was one of the Gators' biggest wins in the transfer portal. Moore started eight games at Georgia Tech last season, playing 682 snaps for a line that allowed only nine sacks and opened lanes for the nation's 21st-ranked rushing offense (197.5 yards per game).
Moore has battled third-year sophomore Jason Zandamela at center and is projected to start as the Gators move on from All-American Jake Slaughter, who started 33 games the past three seasons and was taken in the second round in the NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Moore met Slaughter in the spring and understands the challenge to replace an All-American. But Slaughter helped put the 6-foot-4, 293-pound Moore at ease with some sound advice.
"He just was like, 'I know there's probably a lot of pressure, just be you, don't worry about all the external factors.' That really helped me calm myself down,'' Moore said. "He was a really, really good football player. 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."
The version of Moore Gators fans will see has evolved over the years. He earned all-state honors as a tight end at Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School early in his prep career. He moved to offensive line as a senior and earned all-state honors as a tackle. He made his first college start at tight end against Notre Dame in 2024, but as he added weight and muscle, Moore transitioned to center and made his mark on a program that went 16-10 and played in two bowl games during his two seasons at Georgia Tech.
When he opted to transfer to Florida, the move reunited him with Faulkner and former Yellow Jackets teammates Aaron Philo, Eric Singleton Jr., Bailey Stockton and Luke Harpring.
Moore attracted Georgia Tech's attention as former Florida State Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Chris Weinke, the Yellow Jackets' quarterbacks coach, recruited Southlake quarterback Graham Knowles. Weinke kept noticing Moore on the offensive line and referred him to Key.
Moore, who originally committed to Vanderbilt, joined Knowles in Georgia Tech's 2024 signing class. Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein made contact with Moore when he was at Penn State and viewed Moore as a player to keep an eye on as he transitioned to full-time offensive lineman from tight end.
With Faulkner and Trautwein joining Sumrall's inaugural staff with the Gators, Moore quickly surfaced as a target in the transfer portal.
"It was fortunate that it worked out for the Gators,'' Faulkner said. "You know, last two years, he played a lot for us. I think he's now getting comfortable in his own skin. When we first signed him, he was 265 pounds, so he's still putting on weight. He's much stronger than he was."
Moore's reputation as a rising junior gained steam this week when he was named to the Remington Trophy Watch List, which is awarded annually to the country's top center.
Moore has made a favorable impression on his new teammates – and old ones.
"Jake Slaughter vibes,'' said quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. "Because of the way he carries himself, his leadership. That's something, like, everyone sees, and that's something that we're gonna follow."
Philo, who is competing with Jones to be the starting quarterback, is not surprised by Moore's open-arms arrival.
"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."
A three-star recruit, Moore played 184 total snaps at left guard, center and tight end as a true freshman in Faulkner's offense. He won the center's job as a sophomore and hasn't let up since joining the Gators.
The opportunity to rejoin Faulkner and several former teammates at Florida seemed the ideal opportunity for the former industrial engineering major. He changed his major to mathematics at Florida.
"Obviously, the connection with Buster [was important],'' Moore said. "He's been doing really good things for us at Georgia Tech, and then he came here, so that was part of it. Another thing was Trautwein. He's one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. He was doing really, really good things at Penn State. Florida is one of the premier programs in the country, and there's not a lot of other places that you'd want to play at the highest level.
"There are no off days. That's not an option. If you want to win and take the Gators back to where I think they should belong — winning SEC championships, winning national championships, being a storied program — it just takes more."
Sometimes, even trying to return to the huddle with a missing tooth.
Check out senior writer Scott Carter's archive page for more stories.
Two years ago, in his first preseason camp at Georgia Tech, Moore's smile was missing a key ingredient: a tooth.
He had a tooth knocked out during practice, and when Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key noticed Moore had taken himself out of a play to scan the turf for the missing chopper, he demanded to know what was going on.
Moore tried to explain before feeling the need to return to the huddle quickly. When Key saw blood gushing from Moore's mouth and down his chin, he took a different tone.
The tooth was eventually found and saved, and Moore didn't miss a practice as he cracked the lineup as a true freshman and became the starting center as a sophomore.
"Harrison Moore is one of the toughest guys I've ever had a chance to coach,'' said Gators offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, Georgia Tech's offensive coordinator the past three seasons before joining first-year Gators head coach Jon Sumrall at UF. "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."
The offseason addition of Moore to Florida's revamped offensive line was one of the Gators' biggest wins in the transfer portal. Moore started eight games at Georgia Tech last season, playing 682 snaps for a line that allowed only nine sacks and opened lanes for the nation's 21st-ranked rushing offense (197.5 yards per game).
Moore has battled third-year sophomore Jason Zandamela at center and is projected to start as the Gators move on from All-American Jake Slaughter, who started 33 games the past three seasons and was taken in the second round in the NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Moore met Slaughter in the spring and understands the challenge to replace an All-American. But Slaughter helped put the 6-foot-4, 293-pound Moore at ease with some sound advice.
"He just was like, 'I know there's probably a lot of pressure, just be you, don't worry about all the external factors.' That really helped me calm myself down,'' Moore said. "He was a really, really good football player. 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."
The version of Moore Gators fans will see has evolved over the years. He earned all-state honors as a tight end at Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School early in his prep career. He moved to offensive line as a senior and earned all-state honors as a tackle. He made his first college start at tight end against Notre Dame in 2024, but as he added weight and muscle, Moore transitioned to center and made his mark on a program that went 16-10 and played in two bowl games during his two seasons at Georgia Tech.
When he opted to transfer to Florida, the move reunited him with Faulkner and former Yellow Jackets teammates Aaron Philo, Eric Singleton Jr., Bailey Stockton and Luke Harpring.
Moore attracted Georgia Tech's attention as former Florida State Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Chris Weinke, the Yellow Jackets' quarterbacks coach, recruited Southlake quarterback Graham Knowles. Weinke kept noticing Moore on the offensive line and referred him to Key.
Moore, who originally committed to Vanderbilt, joined Knowles in Georgia Tech's 2024 signing class. Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein made contact with Moore when he was at Penn State and viewed Moore as a player to keep an eye on as he transitioned to full-time offensive lineman from tight end.
With Faulkner and Trautwein joining Sumrall's inaugural staff with the Gators, Moore quickly surfaced as a target in the transfer portal.
"It was fortunate that it worked out for the Gators,'' Faulkner said. "You know, last two years, he played a lot for us. I think he's now getting comfortable in his own skin. When we first signed him, he was 265 pounds, so he's still putting on weight. He's much stronger than he was."
Moore's reputation as a rising junior gained steam this week when he was named to the Remington Trophy Watch List, which is awarded annually to the country's top center.
Moore has made a favorable impression on his new teammates – and old ones.
"Jake Slaughter vibes,'' said quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. "Because of the way he carries himself, his leadership. That's something, like, everyone sees, and that's something that we're gonna follow."
Philo, who is competing with Jones to be the starting quarterback, is not surprised by Moore's open-arms arrival.
"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."
A three-star recruit, Moore played 184 total snaps at left guard, center and tight end as a true freshman in Faulkner's offense. He won the center's job as a sophomore and hasn't let up since joining the Gators.
The opportunity to rejoin Faulkner and several former teammates at Florida seemed the ideal opportunity for the former industrial engineering major. He changed his major to mathematics at Florida.
"Obviously, the connection with Buster [was important],'' Moore said. "He's been doing really good things for us at Georgia Tech, and then he came here, so that was part of it. Another thing was Trautwein. He's one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. He was doing really, really good things at Penn State. Florida is one of the premier programs in the country, and there's not a lot of other places that you'd want to play at the highest level.
"There are no off days. That's not an option. If you want to win and take the Gators back to where I think they should belong — winning SEC championships, winning national championships, being a storied program — it just takes more."
Sometimes, even trying to return to the huddle with a missing tooth.
Check out senior writer Scott Carter's archive page for more stories.
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
QB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ FootballTuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11
