Quarterback Dante Moore Commits to UCLA Football, Flips From Oregon

The Bruins have reeled in their highest-rated offensive recruit in program history, stealing the five-star prospect away from the Ducks.

One of the top offensive players in the country has found a new college destination.

Class of 2023 quarterback Dante Moore verbally committed to UCLA football on Monday, flipping on his initial commitment to Oregon. Moore had been pledged to the Ducks since July 8, but the Bruins made a late push once the regular season came to a close and eventually reeled him in.

Moore is Sports Illustrated's No. 1 recruit in the country, and he can sign with UCLA when the early signing period opens Wednesday.

UCLA offered Moore on Jan. 22, but was hardly ever considered a legitimate contender for the Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School (MI) product in the ensuing months. He picked Oregon over Texas A&M, Michigan State and others, and it appeared that would be the end of his recruitment.

Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham left to become Arizona State's head coach on Nov. 27, though, and Moore was on his official visit to Westwood two weeks later. And when star quarterback Bo Nix announced his return to Eugene on Sunday, it all but confirmed that Moore wouldn't earn the starting job as a true freshman.

The Bruins, meanwhile, had to find a replacement for fifth-year starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who exhausted his eligibility this fall, unlike Nix. Former Washington transfer Ethan Garbers and local class of 2022 four-star Justyn Martin are still in-house, but neither was ever widely considered as an unchallengeable heir apparent.

Moore is a five-star prospect, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, making him the first five-star commit of the Chip Kelly era The three top recruiting databases have him pegged as a consensus top-five player in the nation and top-three player at his position.

In the 247Sports Composite, Moore is the No. 1 ranked player in Michigan, the No. 5 quarterback in the country and the No. 11 overall prospect in his class. Moore's 0.9947 rating is the third-highest of any commit in UCLA history – trailing only edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes – and it just beats out Josh Rosen's mark to make him the highest-rated offensive recruit the program has ever locked up.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound signal-caller threw for 2,392 yards, 32 touchdowns and three interceptions on 69.4% completion percentage with a 188.7 passer rating his senior year, also rushing for 235 yards and five touchdowns. Moore led King to a second-straight Michigan Division III state championship on Nov. 27 at Ford Field.

Moore starred at the Elite 11 Finals camp over the summer, earning MVP honors from Sports Illustrated, and he was selected to appear at the Adidas All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl this winter.

With Moore's commitment, the Bruins' 2023 recruiting class has moved up from No. 50 to No. 35 in the country, as well as from No. 8 to No. 5 in the Pac-12. Going by average prospect rating, the class ranks No. 20 in the country and No. 3 in the Pac-12.

As recently as September, UCLA had the No. 85 recruiting class in the country and the No. 11 class in the Pac-12.

Multiple reports have surfaced about UCLA football revamping their NIL infrastructure over the past few weeks, and many have drawn the connection between that and their recent surge through the recruiting rankings. The team had a reputation for being a step behind in NIL in the first year of its existence at the college level, but that appears to have shifted with Moore choosing Westwood over Eugene.

Adding in the Bruins' upcoming move to the Big Ten in 2024, there have been multiple factors working in their favor on the recruiting trail this fall.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA football stories: UCLA Football on Sports Illustrated

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANTE MOORE/TWITTER