7 things for Oregon Duck fans to know about new QB Dante Moore
Last weekend, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks landed the first big win of the 2024 transfer portal cycle by getting a commitment from former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a likely 2024 Heisman Trophy candidate.
Now, the Ducks made another big-time splash in the portal, getting a transfer from former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, a true sophomore in 2024. Moore played in 9 games as a freshman under Chip Kelly for the Bruins, and he showed flashes of some really great talent. However, he ultimately struggled, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions before losing his starting job in the back half of the season.
Moore has a history at Oregon, so Duck fans may feel like they know what they’re getting in the young QB. We wanted to do a deep dive, though, and make sure we know all that we need to know about Moore. Here’s what we found.
He Isn’t a First-Time Oregon Commit
Most fans of the Oregon Ducks already know this, but there may be some who were unaware. This is not the first time that Dante Moore has committed to the Ducks. In the summer of 2022, as a 5-star QB who was ranked as the No. 3 passer in the 2023 class, Moore was committed to Oregon for several months and projected to be the future for the Ducks, getting ready to sign as the highest-rated QB commit in school history. Of course, after OC Kenny Dillingham left Eugene to take over at Arizona State, Moore reconsidered and flipped his commitment to UCLA, where he would become the highest-rated recruit in the Chip Kelly era.
After a frustrating freshman season, he entered the transfer portal in search of a place that could better develop him.
He’s Okay With a Redshirt in 2024
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Development and improvement is the name of the game for Moore at this point, and he is willing to wait in the wings while that happens. This past month, the freshman QB has been open about the fact that he is not tied to a destination where he can start in 2024, but rather is looking for a place where he can best be developed going forward. Oregon, which just got a transfer from Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel, could be a perfect situation since they have one of the best offensive staff in the nation and would provide Moore with a redshirt year in 2024 while he learns and grows behind a likely Heisman candidate.
He’s Likely a Fan of the Big Ten Move
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There are a lot of people who aren’t thrilled about Oregon’s move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, but Dante Moore probably is a fan of the decision. Moore is a Michigan native, where he grew up and played elite high school ball. Now, with the Ducks changing conferences, it offers him more of an opportunity to play closer to home, even making a return trip to Michigan to face the Wolverines this coming season. The QB didn’t say anything last year about UCLA’s move to the Big Ten being part of the reasoning behind his jump from the Ducks to the Bruins, but it’s fair to think that it might have had at least some minor impact.
He Struggled as a Freshman
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We can be honest about what we saw from Dante Moore in his first year of collegiate ball at UCLA — it wasn’t great. From an outside perspective who was just watching from afar, it appears that Moore was thrown into the deep end far too early, and he at times struggled to keep his head above water. More completed just 53.5% of his passes while throwing 11 TDs and 9 INTs in nine games. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished with an offensive grade of just 58.0, with a passing grade of 59.7. That ranked 110th out of 124 FBS quarterbacks with a minimum of 200 passing attempts in 2023. In comparison, Bo Nix ranked first among all eligible quarterbacks with a passing grade of 92.1.
His Deep Ball was Impressive
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While Moore struggled overall as a passer, he did excel in a few areas for sure, particularly when it came to medium and deep passes. On balls that were thrown 20 or more yards downfield, Moore had a passing grade of 90.6, which ranked 31st in the nation among FBS quarterbacks with 30 attempts, completing 13 passes for 455 yards, 5 TDs, and 1 INT.
His Pressure Passing Needs Work
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You never expect a true freshman to come into the collegiate level and be elite against the blitz, but for Moore, that is certainly something that he needs to work on. Moore was blitzed 101 times in 2023, and he completed just 49% of his passes in those attempts, throwing 3 INTs. When under pressure, Moore completed just 44% of his passes, with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Part of the desire to come to Oregon was for development opportunities, and with Will Stein now coaching him up, you can bet that they are going to focus on improving in this aspect of the game. It also helps that he will now get the benefit of playing behind an Oregon offensive line that has been elite when it comes to keeping quarterbacks clean over the years.
He Was Comped to Tua Tagovailoa as a Prospect
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We love to compare high school recruits to NFL players, and when Moore was coming out of Michigan, he got a pretty favorable comp for the football nerds. Tua Tagovailoa was the passer who most people saw Moore emulating, utilizing his processing speed and arm power to make the right decisions and fit the ball into tight windows. Though he is a bit taller than Tagovailoa, neither QB is prone to utilize their mobility, and instead act more as pocket-passers who will pick a defense apart.
Here is On3’s justification for the comparison for Moore.
“Dante Moore’s quick release, accuracy feel as a passer, and build reminds us of Tua Tagovailoa. Moore is around an inch taller than Tagovailoa and a more efficient high school passer at the same stage. Tagovailoa was more of a run threat.”
