Former Michigan safety R.J. Moten commits to Florida Gators
Former Michigan Wolverines football safety R.J. Moten started 15 games over the last two seasons, but decided to hit the transfer portal after this year’s spring practices. After just over a week, Moten has found his new home, committing to Florida Tuesday afternoon, according to Gators Online.
Moten’s father, Ron Moten, played linebacker at Florida in the 1980s and was a sixth-round NFL Draft pick in 1987. Moten, who has two years of eligibility remaining, took an official visit to Florida over the last week, along with his father.
Moten joins former Michigan linebacker Deuce Spurlock, who also transferred this offseason, in Gainesville. He participated in the Gators’ spring practices after enrolling this semester.
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Moten played in just one game as a freshman during the shortened 2020 campaign, before earning a prominent role in 2021. He opened five games and appeared in all 14, recording 34 tackles, 1 interception and 4 pass breakups. His first career pick came in the first quarter of the team’s game at Michigan State.
The 6-0, 223-pound Delran, N.J., native accumulated 31 stops, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 2 pass breakups as a junior in 2022. Though he started 10 games, appearing in 13, he saw his playing time diminish as the season wore on, due in part to a self-admitted issue with tackling in the open field.
Moten played 426 defensive snaps for the year, 12th on the team, but was in on less than 30 plays in five games. He didn’t appear in Michigan’s CFP Fiesta Bowl game against TCU to conclude the season, after participating as both a linebacker and safety in practice.
Senior Makari Paige rose up the depth chart, correlating with Moten’s lack of playing time. He and junior Rod Moore, who recorded 4 interceptions last year, are set to headline Michigan’s group of safeties this season, and two young players stood out at the position during spring ball, sophomores Zeke Berry and Keon Sabb.
A Delran (N.J.) High product, Moten was a four-star recruit in 2020. The On3 Industry Ranking pegged him as the No. 226 overall player in his class, 19th-best safety and No. 6 prospect in New Jersey.
Moten is one of 14 Michigan players to transfer from the end of the Wolverines’ 2022 seasons to now. He’s the eighth to commit to a Power Five school.
