Levi Moore drops back to pass against Rhodes. The junior has embraced the starting quarterback position for the Bears this year. (Jessi Szafoni | Contributing Photographer)

Junior quarterback Levi Moore excelled in his first season as WashU’s starting quarterback through his leadership and play on the field. So far in his career, Moore has thrived under pressure, leading WashU to an 8-2 record last season with over 1,000 passing yards. The Nashville native sat down with Student Life to discuss the impact he has made on the football team, his time at WashU off the field, and how he hopes to improve and excel over the coming season.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Student Life (SL): Last season, you stepped into a new role. You threw for over 1,000 yards and took over the QB1 role after an injury. What was it like recovering from an injury and stepping into that new role?

Levi Moore (LM): It was honestly difficult, immediately stepping in and getting injured, being out for two weeks, because it was hard to really build chemistry with the team. But the team was super helpful and uplifting with me, so it definitely helped get back into things, and we were able to finish out the season strong.

SL: From last season, what do you want to change or improve on?

LM: I’d like to improve on really enforcing myself in the run game more, being more of a threat in that aspect. I’d also like to just improve on my leadership, being more of a vocal leader and someone that the team can rely on more and more in the future. 

SL: Going off that, what are your specific goals for you or for the team this season?

LM: My specific goals this season would be to make the playoffs. I guess that would be a team goal. And specifically, my goal to be able to do that would be to just be consistent through every game, especially on any reads that I have. I want to make sure that I don’t miss reads, because those could be costly during a game. So consistency, I would say, is key.

SL: So in your first year, you were a goal-line specialist quarterback here. How did that affect you or prepare you for this starting role?

LM: I think it helped build a lot of confidence being a dual threat and, yeah, being able to go in for those situations. And I think it was a really cool thing as a freshman to be able to step in and be able to do that. And so now, being able to do it as the quarterback, it helps open up our offense more, but also helps build morale.

SL: About classes and academics here, you said your major is Mechanical Engineering. Does that affect you or make you a better football player in any way? 

LM: I think it helps because Mechanical Engineering takes a lot of studying, and it’s a lot of time outside of football. Being able to balance that with football is a challenging task, but if you’re able to deal with both of them, it kind of makes football a bit easier.  

SL: Going off of that, out of high school, where did you have offers, and did academics play any role? 

LM: Yeah, I had an offer from Army [academy], which is obviously a great school, but it was a big decision because I didn’t necessarily want to go into the military, so it drew me away. My final decision came down between WashU and the University of Indianapolis. And I think the deciding factor was ultimately academics. WashU is very prestigious academically and UIndy had solid options, but nothing compared to WashU.  To be able to play football but also be able to pursue a great academic career was a huge appeal for WashU. The community as well, coming here, meeting the guys on the team, was a really easy acclimation; the culture felt like home, which I really enjoyed.

SL: What is one piece of advice you would give to an incoming WashU recruit, for football or any sport? What drew you specifically to this school?

LM: I would just say the family aspect of it. We’re really focused on making sure that everybody feels welcome and comfortable, especially within the Athletic Department. We make sure that we are getting to know the new players and incoming players, becoming friends with them, and hanging out with them outside of football. And I think that’s one of the biggest things that WashU offers. These are guys that you know you’re not just on the team with, they’re people that you create a family with and a strong bond and connection with.

SL: What is going to have to change or improve for next week’s game? 

LM: You know, we’re gonna have to work a ton harder. It was a great game, but we still have some things to clean up on, for sure, and so going into next week’s game, being our first conference game and being away, it’s going to be a big game for us. So to be able to go into that strong, we can practice cleaning up the things that we need to clean up from last week, I think that’ll be a big part.

SL: Will the conference rearrangement for football make an impact on you and the team this season?

LM: I think for this season, it kind of motivates us a bit more knowing that we’re going to be in a new conference, so this is our last time to face each and every one of these teams. I think that’s a huge motivation factor, giving us the drive to really want to end the conference all strong. And I think for next year, it’ll be interesting. It’ll be exciting, because there’ll be new teams that we’ll face. I know they’ve had some great teams in the conference. So it’ll definitely be exciting. But I think for right now, focus on this year, like, the motivation.

SL: What is one piece of advice you would give yourself as an underclassman here on the football team?

LM: I’d probably say, academically, go to office hours more, which definitely helps a lot. Not only that, but rely on your teammates more. Like a lot of people on the team are in the same degree, so if you have any questions, you can ask them and they’re completely willing to help.

SL: Okay, we ask every athlete of the week, would you rather have fish for hands or adopt a child every time you hear the song “Bohemian Rhapsody”?

LM: I think I’d rather adopt a child, just because I don’t… Yeah, I don’t really ever hear that song.

2025-2026 Athlete of the Week Tracker: Adopt a Child 1. Fish for Hands 0.