Blue Devils Moore, Crayton college bound

West Memphis football standouts sign with in-state universities By Billy Woods

WM School District Two more West Memphis Blue Devil football players signed college scholarships Wednesday, bringing the total to three for this year’s team.

In December, offensive tackle Chris Morris inked with Texas A& M.

On Wednesday, linebacker/running back Kendarrius Moore signed with the University of Central Arkansas and receiver Jamaul Crayton signed with Henderson State University.

For Moore, the recruiting process was very complicated. He made a verbal commitment to Tulane before the 2019 season began, but the Green Wave coaching staff pulled their scholarship offer late in the season.

To Moore’s credit, Tulane’s move did not deter him on the field. But it did enough to shake Blue Devil head coach Billy Elmore, who was visibly upset.

“Unfortunately, Kendarrius got to see the unscrupulous side of college football recruiting,” said Elmore.

“We all learned some lessons from it. Due to that, Tulane’s no longer welcome on our campus. Their coaches will lie to kids. They told (Moore) to cancel his official visits to Oklahoma State, the Naval Academy and Vanderbilt. When he did that, those other schools moved on.

“I understand there’s a side of college football recruiting where that can happen, but you really don’t tell a kid to cancel his official visits and then pull his scholarship offer.”

Although Moore moved over to the offensive side of the ball midway through the 2019 campaign, he made his mark on defense, where he was a three-year starter and two-time All-State selection at linebacker.

He led the team in almost every defensive category. Moore had team-high totals in solo tackles with 137, in assists with 57, tackles for loss at 32.5, sacks with 4 and interceptions with 5.

In his limited time on offense, Moore had 38 rushes for 317 yards for 8.3 yards per carry. He added 6 touchdowns.

Moore said UCA coaches have said he’ll stay at linebacker for the Bears, whether it be as an inside backer or outside.

“I really liked the coaches, the facilities, what all they have to offer and the campus at UCA,” said Moore, who said he’ll major in physical therapy.

When asked about the recruiting mess, Moore took the high road.

“It just taught me a lot about life,” he said.

“Obviously, anybody would be upset over something like that, but I just learned a lot.

I feel like it made me a better person. Everything happens for a reason.”

Elmore said he thinks UCA will end up being for the best for Moore.

“God puts you in certain situations for different reasons,” Elmore added. “I really think UCA is going to be a great fit for Kendarrius.”

Crayton’s story is every bit as interesting as Moore’s.

The speedy receiver moved from Minnesota to West Memphis before his junior year.

The reason?

“There are a lot better recruiting opportunities here than there are in Minnesota,” said Crayton, whose grandmother and aunt live in West Memphis.

He picked Henderson State over Ouachita Baptist University.

Like Moore, Crayton led the team in his specialized categories.

He caught 29 passes for 449 yards and 4 touchdowns.

And also like Moore, Crayton had to overcome some adversity, leading up to his college decision.

Crayton’s transition to West Memphis was further complicated by a broken wrist during the 2018 season. He’d come to the Blue Devils with ideas of being a quarterback. He said the broken wrist changed those plans.

“I felt like I could have been more of a help to the team (in 2018), but the broken bone changed all that,” he said. “When I moved to receiver I had to work on getting faster and my footwork.”

Interestingly, Crayton said he wants to major either in culinary arts or sports medicine at Henderson.

“I just like to eat,” he said with a smile. “Ever since I was little my dad did a lot of cooking and I thought that was something I’d like to do.”