Malachi Moore, #87, is a familiar face on the defensive line. As a true freshman, he was a regular on the field, showing flashes of brilliance, including a sack on FSU’s then quarterback, EJ Manuel. While he missed the 2013 season due to injury, he returned in 2014 more impressive than ever.

1. Because Our Players Are So Much More Than Athletes.
Position: Defensive End
Hometown: Hackettstown, NJ
Major: English
Malachi and teammates “strike a pose” for the camera
Malachi Moore, #87, is a familiar face on the defensive line. As a true freshman, he
was a regular on the field, showing flashes of brilliance, including a sack on FSU’s then
quarterback, EJ Manuel. While he missed the 2013 season due to injury, he returned in
2014 more impressive than ever. As a Junior, Malachi was a standout with a number of memorable plays, including a sack
against Clemson and two sacks for a loss of 13 yards against Virginia Tech. Much of his success on the field stems from his
remarkable ability to read opponents. This football intelligence is what made Malachi, who was not highly recruited out of high school, an amazing
surprise for Boston College coaches observing him at a campus 3-day football camp. While he was quite light for his height and new to the position,
his incredible work ethic and rapid learning ability screamed potential. Malachi admits, “I wasn’t coming to camp to be recruited. I just wanted to get
better.” The defensive coaches offered Malachi on the spot and their intuition proved correct - Malachi, who had only played one high school season
at defensive end, sacked the opposing quarterback in his collegiate debut.
This is not the only time Malachi’s talent took BC by surprise. As a psychology major in BC’s liberal arts program, Malachi was able to explore other
disciplines, including the language arts. A frequent reader and writer, he chose to try an English course. One of his first pieces was a lyrical essay
about his mother. After reading Malachi’s piece, Professor Manchester approached him and expressed how impressed she was with his work. She
asked him what his major was and, upon hearing it was psychology, urged Malachi to consider switching to English. While he enjoyed the complexity
and cerebral demand of psychology, he yearned to write more creatively. With careful consideration and consultation, Malachi switched his major to
English. He is thrilled with his decision.
Professor Manchester notes Malachi as one of her “all-time favorite students.” She explains, “ I believe that the greatest skill writers can develop is
to define--and figure out how to express-- their author's voice. Many students struggle with the concept of voice; they become self-conscious about
their style or obsessed with adhering to conventions. Malachi boldly puts forth his ideas and takes true intellectual risks. As a result, he pursues
ambiguous, complex topics and produces stunning language. Malachi writes with honesty and verve that I admire beyond measure… his personal
narrative [is] one of the most poignant student pieces that I have ever received... Malachi has truly learned to use writing as a medium for therapy and
self-expression. I am so proud of him!”
Since a young age, Malachi has loved reading and writing. When asked about his favorite authors, Malachi feverishly begins listing names including
Edgar Allan Poe, Ellen Hopkins, and Anne Bradstreet. He notes that he loves to explore older literature and provides Anne Bradstreet’s body of work
as an example of why. “I find Anne’s writing particularly interesting… despite being from the 1600’s, her work touches upon universal
topics that we are still dealing with today. I like to look back and see how ideas change and grow over time.” He then draws a parallel to
Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, a book in which Malachi identifies motifs which have similarly held true into modernity.
Malachi is particularly fond of Franklin’s emphasis on allowing life to develop organically and using your life to better yourself
and those around you. These themes stand out to Malachi, who remains in awe of how powerful works of art and literature can
be, how a single book can completely change an individual’s world view. With a chuckle he notes, “…even the children’s movie Space
Jam had an effect on me. From the moment I saw that movie I wanted to be an athlete and I worked hard to achieve that goal.” As a
zealous English major, Malachi indicates, “I want to help carry the torch of people touching other people. I want to do this through my
words, through my stories.” He is particularly interested in lyrical essays as well as creative non-fiction.
We trust Malachi will succeed in this field, not only because of his skill and dedication, but also because of personality and perspective on life. As
explained by teammate Justin Simmons (pictured on the far right), “Malachi is a very unique guy… He loves reading
and writing, which I suspect helps him be so witty.” Justin notes that Malachi can always find the perfect quote or
reference for a situation and regularly leaves his friends in stiches. From serious to silly, Malachi does it all well.
We are thrilled to call Malachi a BC Eagle and part of the football family.
We hope to someday have a Malachi Moore original work grace the BC library bookshelves!
Malachi Moore