Former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, a five-star prospect in the class of 2023, is transferring to Oregon, he announced Monday. Moore was the second-best available QB in The Athletic's transfer portal rankings.
Moore, who played at Martin Luther King Senior High School in Detroit, was ranked No. 5 overall in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 3 QB in the class of 2023. He originally committed to Oregon but transferred just before the early signing period last December to UCLA.
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 received a commitment from Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel earlier this month. In 2023, he threw for 3,660 yards with 30 passing touchdowns for the 10-2 Sooners.
Why Moore chose Oregon
Moore was verbally committed to Oregon for five months last year before making a last-minute transfer to UCLA just before the signing period. A year later he is back again.
After a season full of ups and downs, it makes sense that Moore preferred to reunite with a head coach and staff he already knows and trusts in Dan Lanning. The Ducks were experiencing an offensive coordinator change at the time of his firing, with Will Stein replacing Kenny Dillingham, but Stein has done an excellent job in 2023 with an offense that ranks second nationally in scoring at 44.2 points per game.
After starting five times as a true freshman and being benched by the Bruins, Moore can retire and invest another year in training and development in a potentially low-pressure situation as the Ducks' No. 2 QB – which should prove beneficial to his career, a more experienced QB who lives up to the five-star hype. – Max Olson, senior college football writer
What this means for the Ducks
Oregon couldn't have done better in its efforts to recruit a replacement for Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix. They bring Gabriel in as their leader in 2024 and keep them in contention for the College Football Playoff after coming just one win shy of a playoff bid this season. They couldn't have found a more qualified candidate for the job than the four-year starter and first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Moore will be their future quarterback in 2025 and Gabriel should be a valuable mentor for him. They will compete against each other, but Gabriel was signed as the starter and both quarterbacks understand their role in this agreement. Considering how many quarterbacks move every year, the Ducks will be in an incredibly enviable position with their QB room if they get this right. –Olson
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)