Dante Moore commits to Oregon Ducks: Michigan 5-star quarterback announces commitment on ESPN's 'SportsCenter'
For the entire 2023 recruiting cycle, the Oregon Ducks coaching staff has made landing a five-star quarterback priority No. 1.
No change of plans. No Plan B. No pivoting.
Just do it.
Slowly those five-star quarterbacks came off the board: Malachi Nelson to USC, Nico Iamaleava to Tennessee, Arch Manning to Texas, Jaden Rashada to Miami.
And then there was one: Dante Moore.
On Friday, the nation's No. 8 overall prospect and unofficial Elite 11 MVP put an end to his recruitment on ESPN's SportsCenter.
Oregon got its man, as Moore committed to the Ducks over LSU, Michigan and Texas A&M.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound signal-caller, out of Martin Luther King High School (Michigan), is not only the program's first consensus five-star signal-caller, he's also quietly generated enough momentum to enter the discussion as the nation's No. 1 overall prospect.
"I think it does send a signal to the rest of the country that Oregon just got a guy who could very well be the No. 1 quarterback, No. 1 player in the country," national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said.
Regardless of his eventual ranking, however, Oregon has made Moore a priority for several months.
He visited Eugene three times, most recently in late June just prior to the dead period and his stellar showing at the Elite 11 quarterback camp.
To many, that trip signaled that the Ducks had become the favorites.
But it wasn't until Moore set a Friday commitment date that the college football world began to truly believe Moore was headed to Oregon.
The unquestioned headliner of Oregon's recruiting class - and possibly the most important commitment in program history - is projected as a future first-round NFL draft pick by 247Sports:
"Varsity starter since his freshman season. Has played well against top competition and in clutch situations in big games. Mature, polished, does not appear to rattle easily. Stands in against the rush and will deliver throws while taking hits. Does a nice job of reading coverages and does well throwing into windows against zone coverages. Anticipates well and gets rid of the ball quickly. Throws with good touch down the field. Can fire it in there when he needs to. Has good arm strength but would not classify the pure velocity as elite. Very consistent with ball placement and mechanics as we have seen very few wayward passes from him through three years of game and camp eval. Solid athlete who has added more mobility to his game as the years have gone on, but is not likely to be a big threat as a designed runner, but can do a little bit of that if needed. Physical traits are good, but it is his intangible traits that are elite. Works extremely hard and that total package projects him to be a multi-year college starter and someone who can be an early draft choice."
As a junior, Moore threw for 3,047 yards and 40 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Junior season highlights
