Analyzing The Dakorien Moore Sweepstakes; Can Texas Longhorns Land Five-Star WR?

What are the X-Factors that could allow the Texas Longhorns to secure a commitment from Dakorien Moore?

Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian during spring practice at the Frank Denius practice fields in Austin, Tuesday , March 19, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

The bubble has finally burst, and No. 1 wide receiver Dakorien Moore has officially de-committed from LSU earlier this - something that has been rumored for months.

Moore is one of the best wide receiver recruits in the nation, ranked the No. 3 overall player in the class of 2025, and many signs are pointing to the Texas Longhorns as front runners in the process. Moore has already declared that he is not receiving any more calls on the recruiting trail, narrowing his decision down to three final schools. 

Texas, Ohio State and Oregon are all in on the Moore sweepstakes, and the winner will be gifted with a player with the potential to have true freshman impact the way that Xavier Worthy did three years ago in Austin. 

The Duncanville product has three official visits set for the summer, and its assumed that his decision will be made before the start of the 2024 college football season. 

May 31st, Ohio State will be the first of the big three to host the talent. 

June 14th, the Longhorns host Moore in Austin.

June 21st, Moore heads north to Eugene to meet with the Ducks.

In just 22 short days, Moore will have seen all three teams and what they have to offer. With the potential to have a star for three seasons, each team will bring out their big guns, and possibly pockets, to recruit the star pass catcher. 

Each of these teams have X-factors in bringing Moore in, but which program can recruit the best?

Texas Longhorns X-Factor: Feeling at home and Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns quarter back Arch Manning (6) looks for a pass during the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

It’s quite clear why the Longhorns jump out as early favorites to win the Moore sweepstakes, as shown by having three crystal balls on 247Sports with medium confidence in each. Moore grew up just a three hour drive away from Austin, and the ability to play for an elite program in the state is always a pull for recruits. The team isn’t just in-state, however, it features specific players that will be able to bring him to a commitment.

Colin Simmons, Duncanville’s top recruit in the 2024 class, will almost certainly be a part of the recruiting team in Austin. Having played multiple seasons together, both as elite talents, Simmons and Moore have vested interest to continue playing together, representing Duncanville on both sides of the ball in Austin. 

But Simmons may not be the person Texas needs to grab Moore’s services. One name has headlined the program even with him barely taking snaps in 2023, Arch Manning. The quarterback will start in 2025, Moore’s first year, and there’s a chance Moore could play two seasons with one of the most anticipated quarterback recruits in recent history. Manning looks to be the real deal, and he will be one of the biggest recruiting pitches for Moore.

Alongside the players, Sarkisian and wide receiver coach Chris Jackson have proven themselves as recruiters and coaches in 2023. The Longhorns sent four pass catchers to the draft, with Worthy being a first-round pick after three seasons in Austin. The Horns have brought in top-10 receivers in each of the last two recruiting classes, and Jackson’s NFL background is an alluring trait for a receiver with pro aspirations. Those four names are the ones to watch in Austin come June 14th.

Ohio State Buckeyes X-Factor: Brian Hartline

Nov 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline talks on the sideline during the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Ohio State lost 30-24. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The list of the top wide receiver coaches in the nation starts and stops with Ohio State’s Brian Hartline. Since starting as a recruiter in 2019, the former Miami Dolphin wide receiver has recruited 20 four and five-stars, three of whom were the top receiver recruits in their classes. Hartline has sent seven receivers to the NFL, and the last four drafted were all first-rounders. Names like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba stick out as some of the top products of Hartline, with this year’s fourth overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. likely to become the best of the group.

Hartline is undeniably the best recruiter and developer for the wide receiver position in all of college football, but Ohio State as a whole has a lot to pitch to Moore. 247Sports’s post portal rankings have the Buckeyes as the No. 1 team in the nation for 2024, while also having the No. 2 class in the nation in 2025. Last season’s top quarterback prospect Julian Sayin, originally an Alabama recruit, has already transferred to Ohio State. 

If there is any group of players and coaches that can give Manning, Sarkisian and Jackson a run for their money in recruiting a receiver, it would be Sayin, head coach Ryan Day and Hartline.

Oregon Ducks X-Factor: The Potential to Become the Best

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during practice with the Ducks Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Oregon looks like the odd man out in the group of three teams recruiting Moore. Just one Oregon wide receiver has been drafted in the 2020s, wide receiver coach Junior Adams has only been with the team since 2022 and Oregon hasn’t ended the season ranked a top-five team since 2014. So what makes them a part of this group?

Oregon is another team looking to break out in 2024. Head coach Dan Lanning is seen as a rising star in the college football world. 247Sports has ranked them as the fourth-best team heading into the season, and Oregon is starting to crack into the recruiting game at the wide receiver position. The Ducks have already locked up Dallas Wilson, the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2025 class, and feature one of the best-receiving cores in the nation in 2024. Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart, a former 11th overall recruit in the 2022 class, Tez Johnson who racked up nearly 1200 receiving yards in 2023 and a top 25 recruit from the class of 2023, Jurrion Dickey. 

The Ducks are poised to make a national championship run, Lanning looks like one of the best young coaches in the nation and Adams is recruiting at an elite level, already ranked as the No. 3 recruiter in the nation for the class of 2025. If Moore loves his visit, he could be swayed to take his talents up north and start a legacy in Oregon.

Moore hasn’t set a commitment date, but the college football world is just over a month away from hearing major news about one of the best recruits in the class of 2025.