From an under-recruited two-star prospect to the NFL, it has been quite the journey for Denver Broncos star cornerback Riley Moss.
Before committing to the Iowa Hawkeyes program in 2018, Moss was a stellar two-way player for Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa.
Moss played defensive back and wide receiver for the Jaguars while also returning kicks and punts. After his senior season, Moss was named to the Des Moines Register's Elite All-State Team and was a First-Team Class 4A All-State selection.
After graduation, he joined the Iowa Football program and was immediately thrust into action as a true freshman after Iowa had multiple injuries in the secondary.
Moss played in all 13 games as a freshman, making five starts, but struggled mightily his first year. He became a full-time starter his sophomore year, but was derailed by an injury.
In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Moss solidified himself as one of Iowa's top cornerbacks and became an All-Big Ten First-Team selection his senior year.
After his college eligibility was exhausted, he entered the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Denver Broncos selected him No. 83 overall in the third round.
Now in his third year in the NFL, Moss has become one of the top cornerbacks in the league, but his dream was never to become a star.
He only ever wanted to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
"Never even thought of the NFL ... my dream was to play Iowa football."
— Closed on Sundays with Pat and Terrion (@closedsundaypod) November 12, 2025
Riley Moss' CRAZY origin story from 2-star recruit to Broncos stud 🫡 pic.twitter.com/c1bY7NJvou
While speaking with the "Closed on Sundays" podcast, Moss stated that it was never his goal to make it to the NFL; his only dream was to play football at the University of Iowa.
Moss was a two-star recruit coming out of high school and was planning on playing football at an FCS program, but Iowa came in late and offered him a scholarship before his freshman season.
During his first game against Minnesota, Moss tallied two interceptions and started to pop up on people's radar.
From a two-star prospect to a star NFL player, Moss never even considered the NFL, but got his chance after the Iowa program took a chance on a small-town, in-state Iowa prospect.