Dante Moore Flips Commitment From Oregon to UCLA
Just days before college football’s national signing day, five-star quarterback Dante Moore has flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. Moore is ranked No. 11 in the 2023 247 composite rankings.
Moore is from Detroit, Michigan where he attended Martin Luther King High. He led Martin Luther King to consecutive state championships in his junior and senior seasons of high school. In total, Moore was a four-year starter and threw for 9,880 yards, 135 touchdowns, and just 20 interceptions.
Moore originally committed to Oregon on July 8, 2022, and his commitment held solid until recently. Moore was a firm Oregon commit until Kenny Dillingham, former Oregon offensive coordinator and Moore’s lead recruiter, became the head coach at Arizona State.
“It’s a spot that I truly love still,” Moore said. “No love lost at all. I appreciate them recruiting me and taking my commitment and understanding my position.” Quote via ESPN.
UCLA’s late surge hit a peak when Moore visited on December 9, 2022. At that point, UCLA pulled ahead in the race for Moore.
Ultimately, Moore’s decision to go to UCLA had a lot to do with head coach Chip Kelly. Moore developed a strong relationship with Kelly and felt he would be able to help him develop as a quarterback.
Coach Kelly, him being in the game for so long and being in the NFL and being in college and recruiting young kids, he told us not to rush anything,” Moore said. He added: “Coach Kelly is a funny guy, very intelligent. He knows a lot about the body and how quarterbacks work and has a program that helps benefit the player. … I know Coach Kelly is a great mentor and a person I can trust my years being in college.” Quote via ESPN.
Moore also added that UCLA’s move to the Big Ten was another reason he flipped to UCLA. Interestingly enough, Big Ten staples and home state schools, Michigan and Michigan State, were major players in Moore’s recruitment before he announced his original commitment to Oregon.
Moore is set to graduate high school early and will enroll early at UCLA.
