Oregon gets a 'tireless leader' with 5-star QB Dante Moore

Dan Lanning and Kenny Dillingham have their guy. Five-star passer Dante Moore committed to Oregon on Friday over LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and many others.

The Ducks are getting a special talent with the No. 8 overall player in the On3 Consensus. Moore was one of the most impressive throwers at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles late last month, but there’s much more to him off the field that makes him special. On3 talked with Moore’s offensive coordinator at Detroit (Mich.) King, Terel Patrick, to understand what he’ll bring to Eugene and the Oregon program.

Dante Moore has come into his own as a leader

When Moore first arrived at King, a powerhouse in both Detroit and the state of Michigan as a whole, he was an introverted 14-year-old. The Crusaders were fresh off of a state championship, but Moore was now their guy at the quarterback position — as a freshman.

“We had seven or eight players go Division 1 that year, and we asked him to be the quarterback and in a leadership position,” Patrick said. “He was having to lead linemen committed to SEC schools and lead the locker room, and that was a lot to put on him. But Dante had lofty goals. He wanted to be that guy. He wanted to be one of the nation’s best. So we took the training wheels off early and put those expectations on him.”

Early on, Moore struggled to find his voice as a leader in the locker room. But his own success, as well as the team’s, built him up more each week. By the end of the season, he became a vocal leader, taking King back to the state championship game again. The Crusaders fell to Muskegon Mona Wales 35-26, but a star had been ignited.

Moore embraces the pressure

Over the next two seasons, Moore led King to 19 wins, and in 2021, another state championship victory. In the process, the Crusaders avenged their past two playoff defeats, routing both River Rouge and Muskegon Mona Wales.

At the same time, he was ascending into one of the country’s top quarterbacks, drawing offers from major programs across the United States. While other players of his stature were taking visits last fall, Moore was solely focused on one thing: winning a state title.

“He didn’t focus on recruiting at all in 2021. After losing the state championship game his freshman year, then going through a crazy 2020 season because of COVID-19, he put his focus on the team,” Patrick said. “He could have been taking visits last year and really focusing on his decision, but he didn’t. It was about his team. It was about winning that state title.”

The Crusaders did exactly that, as Dante Moore completed 72.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,047 yards and 40 touchdowns over the course of his junior season. He was a leader both through his play and his efforts of the field, something that Patrick says he has grown into more and more each year.

“Dante is a guy that knows the pulse of the football team goes through the quarterback position. He understands the blame and the fame that comes with it. He knows people look to him to make plays and for leadership. Dante has embraced all of that. It is the small things that make him different. When we get a stop on defense, he is on the field giving the defense high fives as they come off the field. If we have a 6 a.m. practice, he could have the receivers there an hour early running routes.”

Decision-making sets him apart

Moore’s physical gifts are apparent as soon as you watch him on the field. He possesses a plenty capable arm, pinpoint accuracy, and according to On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power, “a quick, natural release that aids in the short passing and RPO game.”

But his work ethic and understanding for the feel of the game, Patrick adds, are what separates him at the position from others.

“The way Dante plays the game from the neck up makes him different,” the coach says. “The decisions he makes, the way he takes care of the football, the leadership role he takes, how vocal he is willing to make him stand out. He has all the physical tools to be great, but because he is driven and wants to be great, he works on the little things that separate him from others. … I was never worried about his arm strength, his mobility, or anything that can be worked on physically. His work ethic makes him who he is.”

Relationships have been key throughout his recruitment

As it pertains to recruiting, Dante Moore has based things on much the same criteria as most prospects: relationships, development and culture fit. He entertained dozens of offers, and at one time was considered a strong lean to Notre Dame.

But when Dan Lanning hired Kenny Dillingham away from Florida State, Moore became their top priority at the position. The latter had recruited Moore in Tallahassee, but the Seminoles weren’t ever considered much of a factor. Oregon got him on campus this spring for an official visit and turned the tide in a big way.

He then returned last month, alongside five-star running back Richard Young and others, pushing the Ducks to the top. The relationships he has developed in Eugene have been the major selling point.

“Dante stayed true to what he said he would when all of this started. It is about relationships for him,” Patrick said. “He went into recruiting looking to see if he was relatable to the offensive coordinator, if he was relatable to the head coach, and if he was relatable to the people on the staff. He held through to that all the way until he made his decision.

… That is what his decision came down to: relationships and trust. That is the type of kid he is. He wants to relate to the coaches, trust in the coaches, and be able to communicate with the coaches.”

‘It factor’ and high upside

Of the quarterbacks in the 2023 class, Dante Moore might have the best chance to get on the field early at his college destination. That moment is what he has building for over the past three-plus years, and he relishes the opportunity to compete, which he will surely get right away in Eugene.

That desire to be great and the leadership he exudes will be a big part of his story at the next level, Patrick says.

“He works nonstop. He never misses team activities, he does extra work on his own, and he is the leader at each and every activity we have. When the team is done, he does his own work with personal trainers, with the receivers, and he is constantly working to get better.

… At times, we have had to pull him back. We have told him to be a kid. He wants to do whatever it takes to get better. He is going to make whoever plays around him better on the next level.”

His upside, his coach adds, is incredibly high for an such a polished high school quarterback. What he can accomplish in Eugene remains to be written, but the outside expectations thrust upon him won’t be any higher than what he puts on himself.

“He wants to be the best, and I hate to put pressure on any kid, but I would be shocked if he is not a first-round draft pick one day,” Patrick said. “Dante can make every throw. He plays the game from the neck up. He is cerebral. There is nothing he doesn’t do at a high level. … When you match his character with his work ethic, and you match that work ethic with the God-given ability, he is on the right track.”