Five-star QB Dante Moore flips from Oregon to UCLA
At the start of December, Mel Tucker and Michigan State football put on the full-court press in an attempt to flip five-star Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King quarterback Dante Moore from his commitment to Oregon.
The Spartans' efforts ultimately fell short, but there's a good chance that Michigan State will be seeing Moore in the not-too-distant future of Big Ten play.
On Monday, the Detroit native did flip his commitment...to future Big Ten opponent UCLA. The move came after Moore visited Chip Kelly and the Bruins in Los Angeles this past weekend.
As reported by Spartan Nation and various other publications, the departure of Oregon offensive coordinator and QB coach Kenny Dillingham played a major factor in Moore's decision to back off his commitment to the Ducks. Dillingham was hired as the new head coach at Arizona State.
In addition to Dillingham's departure from Eugene, Moore also cited a desire to play in the Big Ten Conference and the opportunity to be developed by Kelly as his biggest reasons for flipping to UCLA.
Moore told ESPN's Pete Thamel that NIL did not factor into his decision, going as far as to say he declined to participate in NIL meetings while on recruiting visits to various schools. According to Thamel, Moore "didn't want a dollar amount thrown at him by a school impact a decision that should be based on football".
During his four-year high school career, Moore threw for 135 total touchdowns and nearly 10,000 yards, and led King to back-to-back Div. III state championships. He is ranked No. 11 overall and the No. 5 quarterback in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports' composite rankings.
While the Spartans' efforts ultimately fell short, MSU did get a consolation prize in four-star West Linn (Ore.) quarterback Sam Leavitt, who flipped his commitment from Washington State to Michigan State on Dec. 15.
Leavitt is ranked No. 376 overall by 247Sports' composite ranking. He's considered the No. 23 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2023. Leavitt led West Linn High School to a state championship this past fall, and was named Oregon's 'Player of the Year' by MaxPreps.
