Courtesy of Matt Riley, Virginia

Morgan Moses was listed at 6 feet 6 and 350 pounds when he first arrived at Virginia. Before losing weight, he was the largest player ever at UVa.

Correction (Sept. 1, 2011: 2:25 p.m.): A previous version of this story contained a sentence with misleading information pertaining to Morgan Moses restating a comment he made. The sentence has been removed. | Our corrections policy

CHARLOTTESVILLE — For all the football accolades that accompanied Morgan Moses' first year at Virginia, there's one other accomplishment that he hasn't taken for granted.

He's back for Year 2.

Moses did not meet NCAA initial-eligibility standards coming out of Richmond's Meadowbrook High School and a postgraduate year at Fork Union Military Academy was far from a breeze.

"We weren't going to let him slide by here," Fork Union coach John Shuman said Tuesday. "He came a long way to become eligible."

Rival recruiters had seen Moses' transcript at various points. Skeptics abounded.

"People are going to say what they want to say," said Moses, a Parade All-America selection in 2009. "I've even heard, 'He's not going to make it out of high school. So, how's he going to make it in college?'

"That just puts fuel in my tank, on the field and off."

At UVa's spring game in April, Moses received the Bill Dudley Award, which goes to a first-year player who has demonstrated excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community. He followed that by passing 11 credit hours in summer school.

"There's people right now who probably think I'm not going to get through here," he said. "I always look forward to proving people wrong."

Moses is determined to get a degree from Virginia, but it wouldn't bother some UVa fans if he proceeded at a more leisurely pace. Because this is his third year out of high school, he is eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft.

Asked if he's given any thought to the NFL, Moses responded, "Nah, I've still got a lot of college ball to play."

When he moved into the starting lineup Oct. 16 against North Carolina, Moses was one of seven true freshman in FBS (formerly Division I-A) to have started at offensive tackle. He also started a game at guard and promises to be more athletic than ever.

At the time of his arrival at UVa, Moses was listed at 6 foot 6 and 350 pounds. That gave him the distinction of being the largest player in UVa history, surpassing offensive guard Elton Brown, listed at 6-6 and 338 pounds in 2004.

There was some mystery concerning Moses' size, however, because it could not be determined if he actually had been weighed. For all anybody knew, he could have weighed 400.

Moses recently put the questions to rest when he confirmed that he had weighed between 350 and 355 pounds last year.

"I came in a little sluggish, a little slow," Moses admits. "There's a lot more athletes at this level of football. You've got a lot more guys coming off the edge and they're faster, too."

This year, Moses weighed in at 335.

"I don't even know he's on the field," offensive line coach Scott Wachenheim said. "Sometimes I think we're playing with 10. At 335, he's so skinny, it's like we're playing without a right tackle."

Then, Wachenheim turned serious.

"I notice where he's working up to the safety now, where, last year, he never would have worked that second-level block," Wachenheim said.

Moses said he's at a weight "where I'm comfortable playing," but strength coach Evan Marcus,back for a second tour at UVa, isn't so sure.

"I think Mo needs to get down a little bit," said Marcus, who spent the past four seasons in the NFL, one with Atlanta and the last three with Miami. "I think he would move exceptionally well at 325.

"I've seen those really big guys, as they get older, who have trouble managing their weight. We had that issue in the NFL. There's just no need to be that big. He doesn't need to be 340."

Long-term health matters to Moses. His father, Morris, lost one leg to diabetes and is undergoing treatment at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond for diabetes-related issues with the other leg.

"Just seeing him go through what he's gone through has helped me focus on a lot of things," said Morgan, also quick to praise his mother for her unceasing support. "It's taught me not to worry about a lot of stuff."

Although he played in UVa's spring game, Moses missed considerable time in the spring with mononucleosis. Then, he sprained an ankle at the start of preseason camp. It wasn't long before he was back on the field.

"Everybody is writing about his ceiling being really, really high," said Wachenheim, who coached in the NFL as recently as 2009. "I'm not in that business right now, but he's a great young man to work with, with a desire to be the best he can be."

Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is another UVa assistant with NFL ties.

"I think [Moses'] strength and flexibility and the offseason is going to take him to a higher level," Lazor said. "The main difference is - and I know that it sounds funny - is that when a guy comes in and gets the kind of GPA [comfortably over 2.5] he did in his first year, it gives him added confidence and carries over to the football field.

"When you talk to him, you leave the conversation with no doubt. He belongs here."