When she is not helping football recruits and their parents coordinate campus visits this summer, South Carolina campus recruiting football director Jessica Jackson is driving a golf cart this spring interviewing new team members.
Joyride’s first interview was posted on Easter Sunday, a conversation with the executive director of character and player development, Derrick Moore. While Jackson has been with the program for six years, Moore is on his first with Gamecocks, having spent 20 years working at Georgia Tech and being a motivational speaker for other professional teams and companies.
Come hitch a ride with @JessRecruitsSC and meet the Coach @DMoSpeaks in our new series ????????????????? ???????? ?????? ????????????? ??
Do you even have a chance to win these wheels ????
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@EZGOVehicles | @GamecockFB pic.twitter.com/s9gAY3akhZ
– Gamecock Athletics (@GamecocksOnline) April 4, 2021
Moore came to Columbia after working with the Georgia Tech football program since 2001, assisting coaches Chan Gailey, Paul Johnson and Geoff Collins. He was originally part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes team at Georgia Tech, tasked with leading the Yellow Jackets spiritual emphasis program, and later became the Director of Character Development for Georgia Tech Athletics.
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He helped inspire the Georgia Tech team to reach four games for the ACC title, including an ACC title in 2009, and making three Orange Bowl appearances while watching the Yellow Jackets ranked in the top 25 multiple years, reaching seventh place during the 2014 season. He was an important member of the renowned Georgia Tech Total Person Program, which is a program designed to provide development opportunities for student-athletes.
In addition, Moore is one of the most sought-after speakers in the country. Speaking to more than 100,000 people annually and more than 50 corporate organizations a year, such as FedEx, Coca-Cola, The DEA, WellStar Health Systems and Chick-fil-A. He is well known as a motivational speaker and video voice actor, as he has given voice to videos for names like Georgia Tech, Atlanta Falcons, Ohio State Buckeyes and several other major sports organizations and corporations.
Success starts with a person’s will. Everything is in your state of mind.
Welcome home, @DMoSpeaks! pic.twitter.com/T7O4C1jZZj
– Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) January 20, 2021
Jackson has served as the Campus Recruitment Director since January 2016. Her responsibilities include coordinating all official and unofficial visits, as well as managing recruitment compliance records.
Jackson served as a football recruiting and operations assistant while studying in Alabama as a graduate student, where he was on the 2011 and 2012 National Championship team and contributed to four consecutive recruiting classes ranked first. Jackson was part of the event team and helped coordinate the inaugural year of the 2014 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the College Football Playoff.