During the 2019 season, and especially his College Football Playoff games, the nation was introduced to Thaddeus Moss. The former LSU Tigers tight end broke records catching passes from Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, capping a breakout year with two touchdowns in his final game against Clemson.
Thaddeus, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, chose to forego his senior season and declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. But with one Moss offspring leaving college football, another is quickly taking his place.
Fork Union Military Academy wide receiver Montigo Moss is, just like his old man's nickname entails, a freak. The 6-foot-1 target caught 57 passes for 1,274 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior in 2019, which earned a Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA) First-Team All-State selection, as well as being named to the All-Virginia Prep team.
"[Montigo Moss] has an amazing ability on the football field and was one of our go-to guys every game. His athletic ability is something that teams focused on each week, and to have the numbers he had this year while getting double covered most of the season shows how special he is as a football player. He will be remembered as one of the best athletes that has played at Fork Union."
— FUMA head coach Mark Shuman
Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Moss was included on MaxPreps' list of the top-10 high school football players in America who are son of NFL legends. That list included Shedeur Sanders, Frank Gore Jr., E.J. Smith, and Chad Johnson Jr.
Needless to say, Moss' youngest son can flat out ball.
But where would the youngest Moss, whose mother is Libby Offutt, play his college football?
"Tigo" Moss announced via Twitter on December 31, 2019 that he'd received an offer from the University of Maine, and just a few weeks later, made his verbal commitment to the Maine Black Bears and head coach Nick Charlton. He is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent in February.
2020 WR Montigo Moss Commits to Maine
Randy Moss planned to play for the Notre Dame football team after being a high school All-American in Rand, West Virginia. However, his involvement in a racially-charged fight and brief jail sentence for a probation violation forced Moss to transfer to Marshall University. All he did was tie Jerry Rice's Division I-AA record with 28 touchdown catches in his freshman season and go on to a Hall-of-Fame career with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers. The Hall of Famer was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and owns several NFL records.
Tigo Moss is headed to a small school as an undervalued asset like his old man, but that doesn't mean he can't turn this opportunity into something much bigger.
After all, he is a Moss.