USC’s Skai Moore will get a chance to impress NFL scouts

Coming back for his senior seasonn seems to have paid off for South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore, and on Monday he received another benefit from that position.

Moore, who leads the Gamecocks with 88 tackles, has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, which annually is the most prestigous of the pro prospect showcase games. The game will be played at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., and will be broadcast on the NFL Network.

Eighty-four Senior Bowl participants have been selected in the following NFL Draft in the last 10 years. Moore will be the 36th Gamecock to participate in the game and the first since New York Giants tighte end Jerell Adams caught three passes in the 2016 game.

Moore, 6-foot-2, 218 pounds, appears to be on his way to becoming just the 15th player in FBS history to lead his team in tackles for four seasons. He already has done it as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and this year he has a 13-tackle lead over second-place T.J. Brunson as the Gamecocks (8-4) prepare to face Michigan (8-4) in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl.

Moore has 348 career tackles, which ranks sixth in Carolina history, and he holds a share of the school record with 14 career interceptions. He was named first-team All-SEC following the regular season.

Moore is the second member of the Carolina senior class to earn a spot in a postseason all-star game. Offensive lineman Cory Helms will suit up in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 20, 2018 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 1:54 PM with the headline "USC’s Skai Moore will get a chance to impress NFL scouts."