\u201cWe were at FCA Camp and we needed a tailback to go in with the (second team) so we put him in,\u201d Darlington said. \u201cHe started running with that style of his and we were thinking, \u2018Oh gosh, this dude can run. Maybe he\u2019s not a receiver. Maybe he\u2019s a running back.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Since that realization, defenders have been falling at Moore\u2019s feet in numbers. He is the top running back<\/a> in the Orlando area, ranked No. 1 in the Sentinel\u2019s 2028 Central Florida Super60<\/a>, and he has put up big numbers in his first two seasons.<\/p>\n In total, he has rushed for 2,807 yards and 44 touchdowns and caught 33 passes for 521 yards and two more TDs. He has even thrown three TD passes. Moore has averaged 9.5 yards per carry and averages 10.5 yards every time he touches the football.<\/p>\n Moore is the type of talent that doesn\u2019t come around very often. He already has 12 FBS scholarship offers.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s very hard to tackle in space and he\u2019s got this move that he does, it\u2019s kind of like this slash move. I tell everyone that I taught it to him, but nobody really believes that,\u201d Darlington quipped. \u201cBut that\u2019s the No. 1 thing, he\u2019s kind of a slashing runner who is hard to get a bead on.<\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing is that he\u2019s really, really strong for his size. He only weighs maybe about 180, but he power cleans 325, he parallel squats 425, he benches 275. That translates into his yards after contact, which is really high.\u201d<\/p>\n He has vision, speed, balance and that ability to break tackles or make would-be tacklers miss. He also plays safety.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can throw it too and could probably be our quarterback and we would have no problems. He probably will be as a senior,\u201d Darlington said, in reference to quarterback Gardner Nordman heading into his senior season. \u201cHe can run it, obviously, he can catch, he can play defense, he\u2019s probably the best tackler on the team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just a natural football player.\u201d<\/p>\n And he\u2019s just getting better with time. By comparison to his freshman year, Moore gained two more yards per carry as a sophomore.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he will just continue to naturally progress to be better. Look at the numbers. How much better can you do on a team where you are not getting the ball every down?\u201d Darlington said. \u201cYou can put his first two seasons up against anyone in the country and I don\u2019t know if you are going to find a better back.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, his numbers could be even more impressive. Gone is an equally talented multi-position star in Marceles Carey, last year\u2019s Sentinel Offensive Player of the Year. Carey put up similar numbers for a DeLand team that averaged 448 yards of offense per game. Carey is now at Bowling Green.<\/p>\n But Darlington doesn\u2019t expect Moore to carry the entire load.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have another guy, who ran a 4.28 (40-yard dash), Kaveon Jackson, so obviously he\u2019s gonna get the ball too,\u201d Darlington said of the tiny 5-5, 157-pound senior scat-back. \u201cAnd I think Gardner Nordman is going to have a phenomenal year at quarterback for us. I think he\u2019s really going to break out as a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n That should open things up for Moore, who is a quiet, humble young man. Asked last year how good he thought he was or could be, Moore said simply:<\/p>\n \u201cPeople should just know that I\u2019m a humble man and I just want to do good in these upcoming years.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s a walking cliche, letting his work on the field do his talking.<\/p>\n \u201cTaihj is just quiet. I can\u2019t remember him forming a sentence around me,\u201d Darlington laughed. \u201cHe\u2019s just a quiet kid, which is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Issac Farling, junior, Mount Dora Christian<\/p>\n The talented Farling led MDCA to a 12-2 record and a spot in the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship game a year ago. He ran for 1,721 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore, averaging nearly 9 yards per carry. He\u2019s playing mostly against lower-level competition, but he has an FBS body and coaches love him. Texas Tech has already offered.<\/p>\n Tamauri Collins, senior, Tavares<\/p>\n Collins is small, at 5-9, 175, but he\u2019s tough and can carry the load. He ran for 1,478 and 25 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He perforated a tough Bishop Moore defense in a big game last season for 314 yards and 3 TDs. He\u2019s the catalyst in coach Gavin Jones\u2019 single-wing offense and is possibly the fastest running back in Central Florida.<\/p>\n Jahmari Hammonds, sophomore, Edgewater<\/p>\n Hammonds (6-0, 185) broke on the scene in a big way last year, rushing for 1,555 yards and 24 touchdowns as a freshman at CFCA, where his competition was within the SSAA. Now he\u2019s in with the big boys after transferring to Class 5A Edgewater and it will be very interesting to see how he does at a more competitive level.<\/p>\n Nydrell Thigpen, junior, Kissimmee Gateway<\/p>\n Thigpen is a big back at 6-0, 210, and he will put his head down and run through a wall. He\u2019s fast and\u00a0 tough and is also a gifted receiver whom coach Marlin Roberts will often spread out wide in formations. Thigpen ran for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and he also led the Panthers in receiving with 26 catches for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns.<\/p>\n![\"Deland's](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/taihj-moore4.jpg\")
Deland’s Taihj Moore, shown above at the Orlando Under Amour in February, is the top running back in Central Florida. (Chris Hays\/Orlando Sentinel.)<\/p>\n![\"DeLand](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TOS-L-DeLandBooneFootball23397_9bdf88.jpg\")
DeLand player Taihj Moore runs for a touchdown during a game against Boone in November. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n![\"Mount](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/isaac-farling7.jpg\")
Mount Dora Christian running back Issac Farling is one of the top running backs in Central Florida. (Chris Hays\/Orlando Sentinel)
\nOther top Orlando running backs<\/p>\n