Five-Star Quarterback Dante Moore Visiting Oregon Football This Weekend
Dan Lanning and his new Oregon coaching staff have had a fantastic first recruiting cycle thus far. The coaching staff was a leg behind due to the timing of Lanning's hire, but since January the Ducks have hauled in six four-star recruits in the 2023 class, and added plenty more talent from the 2022 class and and the transfer portal.
For their troubles, the Ducks now own the No. 23 ranked recruiting class for 2023 according to the 247Sports rankings. But there's one big thing missing for the '23 class -- a quarterback.
It's been a busy time for the five-star quarterback targets in the 2023 class: top-ranked QB and golden boy Arch Manning chose Texas. The No. 2 passer and fellow five-star Malachi Nelson followed Lincoln Riley to USC, , and third-ranked Nico Iamaleava opted for Tennessee over the Ducks.
2023 Quarterback Dante Moore
Now, the Ducks are finally getting into the mix. The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind, but five-star Martin Luther King (Detroit, MI) quarterback Dante Moore is currently in Eugene on a last-minute unofficial visit at Oregon, a source confirmed to Ducks Digest. It just so happens to fall on what could be the biggest recruiting weekend for the Ducks this summer.
RELATED: Oregon football recruiting visitor list June 24-26
The visit comes one day 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong logged a "Crystal Ball Prediction" for Moore to commit to the Ducks.
Moore's trip was kept well under wraps, but Oregon Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Kenny Dillingham couldn't help but provide some witty wordplay hinting at Moore's trip as well as that of another recruit.
A bit of deciphering is needed here. "Young" refers to five-star running back Richard Young, "Miles" refers to four-star offensive tackle Miles McVay, and of course "More" means Dante Moore. All three players will be in Eugene this weekend.
All jokes aside, this weekend is huge for Dillingham.
The top quarterbacks in the '23 class are starting to fly off the board, and a few have shunned the Ducks in the process. First was Iamaleava to Tennesse. More recently four-star prospect Jaden Rashada excluded the Ducks from his top five schools, and it looks like all the smoke is around Miami and Florida in that recruitment with a commitment expected in the coming days.
Coach Kenny Dillingham and '23 Richard Young
Oregon's quarterback room is crowded enough for this season. With Bo Nix transferring in from Auburn to join former highly-touted prospects Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield, it was going to be able to find a difference-making passer in the 2022 class given the timing of the coaching transition.
But there will be no excuse for the 2023 class. Oregon's goal is to compete with the big boys of college football. The first way you do that is by landing big-time recruits and in many cases stealing them from blue-blood programs. That's part of how you prove that there can be a college powerhouse in the Willamette Valley.
While the Ducks haven't had as much luck with quarterbacks in the 2023 class of yet, they have been working hard in the wide receiver room. Three four-star wideouts have committed to the Ducks since Lanning signed on -- including Jurrion Dickey, who could break into five-star status after multiple strong 7v7 performances this offseason.
All that's left is the final, and perhaps biggest piece. A quarterback to serve as the crown jewel of the class.
With more than 3,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns in his junior season, Oregon should bring out all the stops to try and lock Moore in after a strong visit this weekend.
*WATCH DANTE MOORE HIGHLIGHTS HERE*
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