The UConn football team finished up one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2024, finishing 8-4 and earning a bowl bid for the second time in three seasons.  Husky assistant coach Kashif Moore is in his second season on head coach Jim Mora's staff.

Moore was a four-year letter winner at UConn from 2008-11. He was elected team captain as a senior and graduated ranked in the top 10 in program history in receptions (126) while registering 1,699 career yards and 13 touchdowns. He competed in three postseason games, including catching four passes for 62 yards against Oklahoma in the 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - the program's first-ever BCS Bowl game. He was invited to the 2011 NFL Combine and later signed contracts with Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.  

He began his coaching journey at Conard (Conn.) High School under his former UConn receivers coach, Matt Cersosimo, from 2019 to 2020. He then spent a year at Wesleyan University, where he helped the Cardinals navigate through a 2020 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There, he assisted in the development of the players on and off the field. Following his time at Wesleyan, Moore was hired as the running backs coach at Cornell University for the 2021 season. Moore joined the Husky coaching staff in 2023, returning to his alma mater after serving as the wide receiver coach at the University at Albany in 2022.

As the Huskies finish preparing for the 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston next week, Coach Moore took some time to reflect on his playing days and coaching career.

When you were going through the recruiting process and deciding where you would play your college football, what was it that drew you to UConn?

UConn stood out to me for a couple of reasons, to have an opportunity to be a part of and help continue to build tradition for a football program that was looking to compete on a national level while also getting a degree from one of the top public institutions in the country.

You played for the Huskies from 2008 through 2011and were elected a team captain as a senior.  You helped lead UConn to three bowl games in your career including the program's first-ever BCS Bowl Game.  What was your favorite memory of your playing career at UConn? What game or moment sticks out more than any other?

My favorite memory of my playing career was our double overtime win against Notre Dame and celebrating with my teammates and coaches in the locker room.

When did you see coaching as the path you wanted to take and what were you able to take from your playing career at UConn to translate in the coaching ranks?

I saw a path to coaching towards the end of my professional playing career as I wanted to be in a servant leadership role within the sport of football. I was able to take some of the experiences I gained from UConn and apply them to our current players who are now sitting in seats I once sat in.

After coaching stops at Wesleyan, Cornell and Albany, you returned to your alma mater to join Coach Mora's staff.  What has the experience been like being back at UConn and working with today's college football student-athletes?

It's been an amazing experience to be a tool and a resource for the student athletes here at UConn . It is truly my dream job.

If you could go back and have a conversation with your former self before you were starting school and your playing career, what advice would you give yourself and what would say about how UConn is different in 2024?

I would tell myself to be patient, never stop learning, and utilize the network available to our student base. I would also tell myself that in 2024 UConn will be a national brand in both athletics and academically with more resources than ever before, there isn't a better time than now to be a HUSKY!