Former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, a five-star prospect in the Class of 2023, is transferring to Oregon, he announced Monday. Moore was the No. 2 QB available in The Athletic’s transfer portal rankings.
Moore, who played at Martin Luther King Senior High School in Detroit, was ranked No. 5 overall and as the No. 3 QB in the 2023 class in the 247Sports Composite. He originally committed to Oregon but flipped to UCLA just before the early signing period last December.
Moore appeared in nine games and started five for the Bruins as a true freshman. He completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Oregon also landed a commitment from Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel earlier this month. In 2023, he tossed for 3,660 yards with 30 passing touchdowns for the 10-2 Sooners.
Why Moore picked Oregon
Moore was verbally committed to Oregon for five months last year before making a last-minute switch to UCLA right before signing day. One year later, he’s back in the fold.
After a freshman season of ups and downs, it makes sense that Moore preferred to reunite with a head coach in Dan Lanning and a staff that he already knows and trusts. The Ducks were going through an offensive coordinator change at the time of his decommitment with Will Stein coming in to replace Kenny Dillingham, but Stein did a stellar job in 2023 with an offense that ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring at 44.2 points per game.
After making five starts as a true freshman and getting benched by the Bruins, Moore gets to reset and invest another year in training and developing in a potentially low-pressure situation as the Ducks’ No. 2 QB — which ought to prove beneficial in becoming a more seasoned QB who lives up to the five-star hype. — Max Olson, senior college football writer
What this means for the Ducks
Oregon could not have done any better in its efforts to recruit a replacement for Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix. They’re bringing in Gabriel to be their leader in 2024 and keep them in College Football Playoff contention after coming up one win short of a playoff bid this season. They couldn’t have found a more qualified candidate for that task than the four-year starter and first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Moore is coming in to be their QB of the future in 2025, and Gabriel should be a valuable mentor for him. They’re going to compete, but Gabriel was signed to be the starter and both QBs understand their roles going into this arrangement. Considering how many quarterbacks transfer every year, the Ducks are going to be in an incredibly enviable position with their QB room if they can get this right. — Olson
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
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