Why Oklahoma’s Ka’Mori Moore, a defensive line commit, is bound to OU

Ka’Mori Moore, a defensive lineman for Lee of Summit North (MO), is one of the few outstanding prospects on the Broncos roster.

Moore has played with several highly sought-after players, including 5-star recruit and recent Missouri signee Williams Nwaneri and former Oklahoma and current Missouri offensive tackle Cayden Green.

Moore, a 3-star prospect who is about to enter his senior year at LSN, has chosen OU over a few other Power 5 colleges.

Moore claimed that the coaching staff of the Sooners, particularly Todd Bates, Miguel Chavis, and Brent Venables, was what first impressed him.

Moore told AllSooners, “Really, Coach Bates, Coach Venables, and Coach Chavis, I’m going to keep saying that.”

“Those three are aware of what’s going on. They are competent and aware of what they desire. I want to be among the best because I want to be the best. I wish to receive coaching from some of the best.”

Moore stated that after his commitment, he has had regular communication with the OU coaching staff.

Bates, who is described as Oklahoma’s assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator, run defense coach and defensive tackles coach, has a reputation of developing high school prospects into NFL caliber players.

The former Clemson assistant coach coached nine All-Americans and three first-round draft prospects before moving to Norman. Before starting his coaching career, Bates played defensive tackle for Alabama and for a short time in the NFL.

Once the junior gets on school, Bates will serve as Moore’s primary position coach as the Sooners’ interior defensive line coach.

Chavis is a young, vivacious coach who seems to have a penchant for forging close bonds with some of the top d-line prospects in the country, despite not having the same background as Bates. Nigel Smith, an OU signee in the 2024 recruiting class, also mentioned how close he was to the former Clemson defensive lineman and staff member.

Moore possesses the size Oklahoma will want on the interior defensive line as they go into the SEC, standing at 6-foot-1 and 310 pounds. Moore also noted that playing in the SEC was one of his aspirations, and played a huge part in his decision.

“(Playing in the SEC was) one of my main goals when I first started,” Moore stated. “That is the pinnacle of excellence. The finest competition is that one. That truly makes me happy.”

Moore is one of nine OU commits in the 2025 class, three of which are on defense. While the Lee’s Summit North standout said that he hasn’t had the opportunity to build a relationship with Alexander Shieldnight or Marcus James yet, Moore mentioned that he is very close with Owen Hollenbeck, a 3-star offensive line pledge from Melissa, TX, and Elijah Thomas, a 4-star wide receiver commit from Checotah, OK. Hollenbeck and Moore originally met at a performance camp when the two squared off in one-on-one drills. Moore said that Hollenbeck is a fierce competitor and that is excited to face him again when the two line up against each other in practice a few years from now.

“Elijah Thomas and Owen Hollenbeck, I’ve got a really tight relationship with them,” Moore told AllSooners. “Me and (Hollenbeck), we met at a camp. We were going back and forth in one-on-ones. We were going crazy against each other.” In early January, Moore competed at the All-American Bowl Combine in San Antonio, TX, performing very well in agility drills and one-on-one reps. Moore said that he was unsure of what to expect heading into the event, having to compete against a large pool of players from the state of Texas.

“I was very nervous, honestly,” Moore said. “I feel like being coachable with the coaches that I had, you know, we built a little relationship.”

After landing an impressive defensive line class in 2024 that included 5-star David Stone and 4-stars Danny Okoye, Jayden Jackson, Wyatt Gilmore and Nigel Smith, adding Moore to the mix in the 2025 recruiting class continues OU’s solid defensive line recruiting as they head to the SEC. With Moore and Shieldnight already on board in the upcoming cycle, the Sooners have the potential to sign another impactful d-line class.