UCLA Football Early Signing Day Breakdown: QB Dante Moore
As the National Letters of Intent come rolling in, All Bruins is going to be taking an in-depth look at every recruit who signs with UCLA in real time. Next up, quarterback Dante Moore.
Dante Moore, Quarterback
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
High School: Martin Luther King
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 210 pounds
2022 Stats: 13 GP, 175-of-252 passing, 69.4% comp., 2,392 yards, 32 TD, 3 INT, 188.7 RTG, 235 rush yards, 5 rush TD
247Sports Composite: Five-Star, No. 5 QB, No. 1 MI, No. 11 overall
High School Offers: Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia, Howard, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Marshall, Maryland, Miami (FL), Miami (OH), Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Morgan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon (Decommit), Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Commitment Date: Dec. 19, 2022
Sports Illustrated's No. 1 recruit in the country is officially a Bruin.
Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School (MI) quarterback Dante Moore signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, officially marking his arrival at UCLA. Moore was one of the Bruins' final commits to sign on the opening day of the early signing period, leaving fans waiting before they were finally able to exhale in the afternoon.
"UCLA is the right move for me," Moore said in a statement released by the team. "Coach Kelly knows a lot about the body and how quarterbacks work and has a program that helps benefit the player. ... I know coach Kelly is a great mentor and a person I can trust my years being in college."
As recently as Sunday night, however, Moore was committed to Oregon. UCLA then made a late push for the star quarterback, taking advantage of coaching changes, NFL Draft decisions and upcoming conference realignment to reel in one of the most-hyped prospects in program history.
Moore is a five-star prospect, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, making him the first five-star commit of the Chip Kelly era. All three of the top recruiting databases have him pegged as a top-five player in the nation and top-three player at his position.
In the 247Sports Composite, Moore is ranked as the No. 1 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 quarterback and offensive recruit the program has ever locked up.
The 6-foot-2, 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.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson has exhausted his collegiate eligibility after five years in Westwood, meaning UCLA is looking for a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2018. Former Washington transfer Ethan Garbers, class of 2022 four-star Justyn Martin and veteran Chase Griffin are all on the roster already, looking to replace Thompson-Robinson, but Moore's arrival could shake that up.
Three-star Luke Duncan signed earlier Wednesday and Kent State transfer Collin Schlee committed on Saturday, so there are additional bodies who will be there with Moore and whoever else sticks around.
Moore is an immediate threat for that starting job, and he is also a threat to leave for the NFL after the minimum three years. UCLA will be in the Big Ten by then, and Moore will likely be tasked with helping the team establish its footing in the new megaconference.
Click here to check out All Bruins' 2023 early signing period tracker
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DANTE MOORE/INSTAGRAM
