Commitment Preview: 2023 Quarterback Dante Moore
The Oregon Ducks are fresh off a huge win on the recruiting trail after the commitment of four-star Rainier Beach cornerback Caleb Presley -- giving the Ducks the top recruit from the state of Washington in consecutive recruiting classes.
But recruiting moves fast. All eyes have now shifted to five-star 2023 quarterback Dante Moore, who will announce his college commitment on SportsCenter on Friday at 9 AM PST.
It's been quite the spectacle following Moore on the recruiting trail throughout the past few months. At the beginning of 2022, Moore looked like a prime candidate to join Marcus Freeman and his No. 1-ranked 2023 recruiting class at Notre Dame. But in the last month, Oregon has emerged as the favorite to land the elite signal caller.
Moore has made three total visits to Eugene since Dan Lanning and his coaching staff signed on. He came on an unofficial visit in January, and an official visit in April. But the real head turner was Moore's unofficial visit late in June. That's when the Ducks really started to pick up some serious steam.
RELATED: Five-Star Quarterback Dante Moore in Eugene for Last-Minute Unofficial Visit
The weekend of June 24 was Oregon's final push for the 2023 class before the dead period, which bars schools from hosting recruits on visits for a majority of July.
Some of the best players in the 2023 class, including five-star edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Jayden Wayne, were on Oregon's campus for the weekend. But Moore's last-minute addition to the visitor's list stole all the headlines-- a testament to how huge a talent Moore truly is.
The Ducks pulled out all the stops for Moore, and on short notice. The staff went as far as getting Duck legend and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota on campus to meet with the elite Michigan prep.
Even though Oregon is considered the top candidate to win the Moore sweepstakes, no recruitment is a sure thing. As of late, a newer name to watch in the past month or so has been Texas A&M. Just before Moore was in Eugene, the quarterback made a stop in College Station to check out Jimbo Fisher's Aggies, who signed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022.
A bit closer to Moore's home of Detroit are Notre Dame and Michigan. Both teams were perceived to be higher on Moore's interest list earlier in his recruitment, but as time has worn on, it's looking likely that his final commitment could be further from home.
While Moore never officially announced which schools are his final contenders, the main teams still believed to have the best chances are Oregon, Texas A&M, Michigan an Notre Dame. All four schools are without a quarterback commit in the 2023 class, and Moore is the best of the bunch still on the board.
And in today's college football, no recruitment is safe when a player announces a verbal pledge. Just because Moore will choose a school tomorrow doesn't mean that schools will slow down in their pursuits between now and national signing day.
The Ducks have been scorned by a few of the top signal callers in the 2023 class. The third-best QB in the class Nico Iamaleava chose Tennessee, and the seventh-best passer, Jaden Rashada, chose Miami -- both prospects who were heavily linked to the Ducks before eventually turning elsewhere.
But that can all be erased if Oregon lands Moore, who has become one of the hottest names on the recruiting trail thanks to his recent Elite 11 Finals performance. If Moore does in fact go elsewhere, Oregon could be left scrambling.
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