On Tuesday afternoon, UMass lost one of its best recruiters and overall people on the coaching staff when Jeff Moore put out a social media post saying he was taking up a “new adventure.”

Shortly thereafter, Tabor Academy announced that Moore would be the school’s new head coach in an official statement on the school website. Moore had been Don Brown’s tight end’s coach and recruiting coordinator, particularly in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Moore had brought respectability back to the Loomis Chaffee program during his time as the head coach there from 2019-2021. Despite the fantastic opportunity he had with Brown, offensive coordinator Steve Casula and the rest of the coaching staff as the Minutemen continue to rebuild, Moore simply found this to be the best option for he and his family right now.

“I was looking for something that fits our family a little more from a time commitment standpoint,” Moore said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “We have two young ones. One daughter’s almost two and a half, one’s eight months, so we were looking for something where I can spend a little more time with them. For us, it’s perfect. It’s just a little over 30 minutes from both of our parents’ and it just sort of gives us the ability to spend a lot of time with our family. It’s a great school with great people. We’re really excited to move down there this summer and get the whole thing started.”

“We are excited to welcome a talented and proven coach to our staff,” said Kelly Walker, Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars. “His experience and dedication will be an asset to our program and most importantly, to our students. I can’t wait to see our team grows and flourishes under his leadership.”

As you’d imagine, after playing for Coach Brown this was not an easy decision for Moore. Conversations with both Brown and Casula were difficult, but Moore believes everything is heading in the right direction in Amherst.

“They’re doing all the right things,” he said. “I feel like they’ll be really successful in the years to come. It was really tough obviously, because I played for Coach Brown and my wife went to UMass as well. We totally loved our experience over the past a little bit over a year and it’s something that I’ll always remember and cherish.”

The other difficult part of this is the recruiting aspect. Personal relationships are built with families and players during the offseason, but in the ever changing world of college football, things happen. Moore is confident that anyone he’s dealt with has chosen UMass because of Coach Brown and the school itself, not him.

“We’re fortunate where I think a lot of the kids pick UMass for the school and Coach Brown,” Moore said. “I think (recruits) understand that the move, where UMass is going right now is definitely in an upward trend and they’re really excited about it. Obviously, it’s tough when you build relationships with kids and you go to a new place, but I do believe UMass is a special place and most kids choose it because of the school itself.”

Before Loomis, Moore already had quite a coaching journey with stops at St. Thomas More School as the head coach (2017-18), Amherst College (Assistant Football Coach, 2013), Yale (Intern Assistant Defensive Backs / Assistant Director of Football Operations, 2012) and Amherst College (Assistant Football Coach, 2011). Now, he hopes to use a little bit of everything he’s learned lately in his new role at Tabor.

He also knows it may take a little while to get back into the swing of things as a head coach, especially in the ultra competitive NEPSAC.

“I’m excited to go back. I think the NEPSAC is a really special place where you get kids from all over the world, all with different experiences and upbringings all together working as one,” said Moore. “I’m really excited for that. Obviously, it’s going to take a little but of time to get fully immersed in Tabor, which I’m excited to do. It’s a great school and they’ve had pockets of really strong tradition and good football. Hopefully, we can get back to where they were before.

“I’m just really excited to bring a strong brand of football back to Tabor and to bring in great kids who are great football players and great students. The other piece is, there are already a lot of great kids at Tabor. I’m excited to get to work with them and to build upon the positive experience they’ve already had there.”

Being part of the UMass family is basically like being in the NWO circa 1998. When you’re UMass, you’re UMass for life. Moore may be leaving the program, but the relationships remain as strong as ever.

“There’s not a better person to work for than Coach Brown,” he added. “He truly cares about every single person on his staff and treats them unbelievably well. He’s always been extremely fair and understanding. I firmly believe there’s not a better person to work for. With Coach Casula, it’s been a pleasure working for him as well. He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with. I do feel extremely confident that he’s the right person to be the offensive coordinator at UMass. 100%.

“He’s been great. I learned so much football this past year. It’s been a really great year to be able to learn a lot of things that he did at Ferris and Michigan. I’m forever grateful to be able to work with Coach Casula and Coach Brown.”