SMU linebacker Richard Moore will return to the Hilltop for his sixth year of eligibility. Moore announced the news on his personal Twitter account. 

Moore led the Mustangs with 92 tackles to go along with five sacks and five quarterback hurries during a breakout 2018 season. He was expected to be a key defender in the middle of the defense in 2019, but suffered a season-ending injury in the third game.  

The Cedar Hill product’s return comes at a perfect time for the program. Key leaders LB Patrick Nelson, S Rodney Clemons and DE Delontae Scott graduated from the program, leaving holes on the defensive depth chart. Moore will step back into a leadership role immediately. 

Moore joins fellow sixth-year linebacker Richard McBryde and senior Delano Robinson to form one of the most experienced units in the state. Moore and McBryde typically played the MIKE position in Kevin Kane’s defense. Kane will have to find a way to get his best playmakers on the field, especially with four of the top five defensive linemen gone. 

Before SMU, Moore played 19 games at Texas A&M, including 39 tackles for 7.5 tackles for loss in his first season. He was coached by Joey McGuire at Cedar HIll during an all-american and all-state career. He was featured on one of the now-iconic Pony Up Dallas billboards in Cedar Hill. 

SMU is fresh off its first 10-win season in more than 30 years. The Mustangs return just 53 percent of its defensive production.