Dante Moore says helmet communication makes him feel 'like you're in a movie'

Oregon sophomore quarterback Dante Moore offered a fun analogy when he was asked about using the new pre-snap helmet communication this offseason.

“It feels like you’re in a movie,” said Moore, who transferred in from UCLA and is expected to back up former Oklahoma and UCF star Dillon Gabriel this year.

“Of course, you can look at the signals still, but just hearing the coach-to-player communication and then just hearing what Coach [Will] Stein is thinking before he calls a play — it helps us out with protections. It helps us out with checking plays. But, overall, I mean, as a kid, you always watch documentaries of some NFL quarterbacks in the huddle, take control the huddle, hearing the play call.”

Moore added: “It’s great just to go through the calls and just be out there on the field and communicate with the O-Line and everybody like that. So it’s pretty dope.”

Thanks to the NCAA approving a rule change in April, this will be the first year all FBS games will allow helmet communication. The rules for helmet communication in college football are pretty similar to those at the next level. Keep in mind, the NFL has been using the technology since 1994, whereas the college game has largely relied on pre-snap signaling from the sideline to deliver play calls.

Now in all FBS games, one player on each side of the ball is permitted to have a radio in their helmet, just like the NFL. Coach-to-player communication is shut off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or whenever the ball is snapped.

This could lead to a significant uptick in huddling at the college level and even a higher degree of complexity for play calls.

It’s a lot for a quarterback to handle, however, it’s good preparation for the NFL. Tack on the task of learning a new offense entirely, and Moore’s had a lot on his plate this offseason at Oregon after starting five games as a true freshman at UCLA last season.

Moore completed only 53.5% of his passes for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions before ultimately getting benched for current UCLA starter Ethan Garbers. But the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 3 overall prospect from the 2023 class is embracing what’s supposed to be a developmental year at Oregon in 2024.

Moore discussed how spring ball was fast, and it was difficult juggling the playbook and new lingo. He said he’s way more comfortable in training camp, especially when it comes to checking protections and checking calls.

Moore pointed out how Stein, his new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, makes him feel free as a quarterback.

“If I mess up, he just wants to hear us say what we saw out there on the field,” Moore said. “I feel like overall, as a quarterback, you don’t want to be a robot. He lets us be free. If you make a wrong check, he’ll tell us about what he saw. But I feel like my confidence got way better with throwing the ball, and [I’m] just mentally really becoming better at the game.”

That confidence is key in the huddle, where Moore is relaying Stein’s commands from the headset. And that exchange, if you ask Moore, is movie-like.