AUBURN, Ala. – No one on the current squad has played in more games for Auburn than defensive lineman T.D. Moultry – 49 of them to date since he arrived on the Plains in 2017 – so fans might think he has pretty much accomplished all he has wanted to during his college football career.
But with an extra year of eligibility earned because of the Covid pandemic, Moultry feels that bonus season couldn't have come at a better time.
"Having an extra year has helped me seeing everything differently," the edge rusher from Birmingham's Jackson-Olin High School said. "Some things happen for a reason and I thought my path with football was going to happen sooner, but God slowed it down for me and showed me the route to learn, and to open more doors for after football as well.
"Somebody told me, 'Don't have a Plan B because it takes away from your Plan A,' so I have options to consider for after football and what I'm going to do. I just feel like this extra time has opened my eyes to see things differently.
"In football, I'm back to a basic commitment: to be as coachable as a seventh grader, to be willing to listen to anybody in front of you, to talk and communicate as well.
"It's a process for me – some people get it right away and some people just have to take time. I believe I was one of those people who took some time, but I feel like everything is going in the right direction toward the place I want to be."
The interdisciplinary studies major, who is concentrating on business, leadership and coaching, is on track to graduate in December, an important goal in his family legacy.
"I'm the first in my family as a male to go to college, the first to play football, and I will be the first to graduate," Moultry said.T.D. Moultry
"It's very important to me to set that path for my family, with college and going into business," Moultry, who has already developed plans for two clothing lines – TD Merch and Big Stepper – explained. "I'll be the first in my family with this type of business. I've been thinking about it for about a year and a half and definitely a lot when Covid started – what am I going to throw out to people?
"This was way before I knew about NIL but just planning for my future – what's a way to make money doing something I cared about? What does that opportunity look like? As the saying goes, a dream is just a dream without work."
Moultry looks forward to opportunities on the field this fall as well, and he is preparing his younger teammates for them.
"Obviously, I believe you're going to be as good as the man beside you, so I tell Dylan (Brooks) and Mello (Height), in high school, you want to be the only guy to make the plays, but at this level, you want somebody to come in for some snaps or a drive and help you," Moultry said. "So telling them the plays and getting them headed in the right direction each and every day is probably the best thing I can do for our team.
"I never was that guy before – I knew my stuff, but I never would reach out and say here's what you're doing wrong, you can do this better. You did good at this, but you need to work on this. Just telling them what they can work on – it helps them. Tell them the pros but tell them their cons as well -- I want to hear the same thing."
Moultry likes the messages he is hearing from head coach Bryan Harsin and the new coaching staff.
"With the new coaching staff, it's about consistency," the veteran with 39 career tackles said. "They treat everybody from managers to the head coach the same.
"I just love the consistency part and they treat everybody the same way, no matter what level you are – if you're late, you're late. I feel like that's an opportunity for me to show more consistency as well, and learn to emphasize it."
Moultry loves being part of Auburn football. He came here because "It felt like family -- the coaches, the fans, the players."
The excitement of game day at Jordan-Hare Stadium has become something tangibly special to him as well.
"How the atmosphere is – I just love it," he said. "When they do the swag and the swerve, when the eagle flies, when I have family members who have never been to a game and they just see that crowd, it's just wow!"
Moultry will be sad when football Saturdays in orange and blue are just a memory, but it's the day-to-day camaraderie of his team and campus life that he believes will be even harder to replace.
"Even more, I will miss the work," he said. "Being around family and friends, meeting new guys, guys that aren't athletes as well, the equipment guys, the trainers, everybody – meeting different people throughout Auburn. It's what you know and who you know; making connections is what helps you throughout life. You never know ahead of time who you need or what you need."
Moultry knows that his greatest need will always be for family, a bond only underscored during his time at Auburn.
"What I do, I do for my family and that also means the Auburn Family," he said. "We're together as one, together and passionate about the smallest human being to its largest athlete. That support and bond are so motivational to all of us."49er: With 49 Auburn games on his resume, T.D. Moultry is the most experienced Tiger