BLACKSBURG — It’s likely Ricky Nelson’s 1961 classic, “Travelin’ Man,” isn’t a song on any of Peter Moore’s playlists for workouts or the lengthy flights he’s taken since wrapping up his playing days at Virginia Tech in early January.
The song does encapsulate Moore’s lifestyle since concluding his college career. He went up to Buffalo, New York, to train with 19 other specialists. There was a flight in early February to Orlando, Florida, that was followed up by another long plane trip to Fountain Hills, Arizona.
All of the hours spent going from one state to another are part of the process Moore hopes will result in a spot on an NFL roster in the near future.
“I’ve been a traveling man, but it’s been fun,” Moore said last week. “Just training with a lot of good players and having that competitive atmosphere and working with great coaches as well.”
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Virginia Tech punter Peter Moore, right, is seen on Jan. 3. Moore has made trips to Buffalo, N.Y.; Orlando, Fla.; and Fountain Hills, Ariz., over the past few months to bolster his chances of making an NFL roster. Matt Gentry, The Roanoke Times
Seven of Moore’s former Virginia Tech teammates took part in high-profiled senior showcases (like the Hula, Senior and East-West Shrine bowls) and six were at the NFL scouting combine.
Moore didn’t receive invitations to any of those events. He did receive an invitation to the Senior Specialist Showcase in Orlando, Florida, for four days in early February, and immediately flew to Fountain Hills, Arizona, to take part in Gary Zauner’s College Senior Combine.
“I think the big thing in terms of that was just working on how to respond from a bad punt or a bad day,” Moore said of what he learned from the showcases. “Having other guys that were really talented punters in college and are trained in the same way I am with me in those sessions kind of helped me realize what the standard is and when it’s not going well to just flip the switch and get right back on and really just train harder because those guys are there pushing me. The competition aspect of it was a big deal for me.”
Moore shined at Zauner’s combine. He was one of four punters who recorded a punt of 45-plus yards that had a hang time of at least 4.9 seconds.
Moore’s 55-yard punt was timed at 5.05 seconds in the air.
Hang time was one of the two areas scouts evaluated Moore during Virginia Tech’s pro day last week. The other was directional punting, as Moore focused on putting his punts in the coffin corner so the ball either goes out of bounds or is downed near the goal line.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things just about my hangtime and directional punting,” Moore said. “Those are the two main things. But, yeah, just overall really solid feedback.”
John Parker Romo, who played at Virginia Tech for three seasons (2019-21) and is currently signed with the New England Patriots, returned to Blacksburg to help Moore in his pro day drills.
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Virginia Tech punter Peter Moore, left, serves as the holder on John Love’s 28-yard field goal against UVa in Blacksburg on Nov. 30. Matt Gentry, The Roanoke Times
“Me and him talk very often, and it was great to have him out here, especially because I held for him for his pro day (in 2022),” Moore said. “So that was kind of a full circle thing. Obviously held for him for a year at Tech. But for the most part, a couple of days ago we talked about just mentality and mindset and what it takes to be elite and going to camp with an NFL team and beating another guy out, even somebody that might have been there for 10 years, just a veteran. How do you go in there with the mentality to win the job and attack it?”
Moore got a feel for that type of mindset as part of a group of four other punters, eight long snappers and eight kickers who lived and trained together in Buffalo following the conclusion of the college football season. The group trained with Alan Tanalski, who is a kick coach, and he helped lead them through drills, training, lifting and various other workouts.
“Training with four other punters and they’re all really, really good. And watching a lot of kickers, too; they were being very competitive,” Moore said. “Just having that competitive atmosphere, I think, puts myself in a good position going into the draft just because I’ve had sessions that are at a high level and we kind of held the standard high for each other. I think that made me a lot better.”
The other punters were Arkansas State’s Ryan Heicher, San Diego State’s Tyler Pastula, Auburn’s Oscar Chapman and Buffalo’s Ethan Duane.
“They were really talented,” Moore said. “We became pretty close throughout the process and stuff living together and just hanging out. It was definitely fun to train with those guys.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Moore capped his Virginia Tech career in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. He finished second in program history in career punting yards (11,299) to A.J. Hughes and punting average (43.3 yards per punt) to Oscar Bradburn.
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Virginia Tech punter Peter Moore (left) talks with Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry in the first half of the Hokies' Oct. 26, 2024, contest against Georgia Tech in Blacksburg. Matt Gentry, The Roanoke Times
Moore hopes to become the second punter from Virginia Tech selected in the NFL Draft. Brent Bowden was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft.
“For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m drafted or not. I’m going to go into camp with a team and beat out whoever’s there,” Moore said. “That’s the mindset and that’s the mentality that I have to have to be successful. It doesn’t matter where, doesn’t matter what day, just go in and take somebody’s job and punt to the best of my ability.”
Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124
damien.sordelett@roanoke.com
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