Dante Moore on his growth in UCLA offense since spring: 'Really far'

Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins landed one of the top quarterbacks in the Class of 2023 when Dante Moore signed with the program. However, he won’t start immediately as a freshman, with Kelly deciding to start Ethan Garbers in Week 1 while Moore continues to develop.

Already, as Moore recently explained, he’s grown a ton in the UCLA offense since he first got to campus in the spring.

“Really far. Really far,” Dante Moore said. “I like that question. I know when I came in during spring it was just so much I’m trying to learn [in] Coach Kelly’s offense. You know Coach Kelly’s offense can be, it can be chaotic, but at the end of the day it’s going to put you in the right way to make sure you’re the greatest quarterback you can be.”

According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Dante Moore was a five-star recruit and the second-ranked quarterback in the 2023 cycle. He chose the Bruins over schools like Oregon, Michigan, and Notre Dame.

“I know with his offense. There’s many different schemes, many different ways to do things, and I know so much but I’m still learning. Like I said, in our meetings you know even before we come out here and at night it’s really just being in that quarterback room. I appreciate Coach [Ryan Gunderson] Gundy from him breaking down and taking the time out just to help us learn and everything like that,” Moore said.

“It’s good, though. Come a long way. I’m glad I came here early. Got to go through the Spring ball, got to go through Fall Camp. Fall Camp was crazy, forgot what time of day it was and all types of things, but I came a long way for sure. I’m proud of myself and I know there’s work to be done.”

As soon as Dante Moore found himself on campus, he received praise from Chip Kelly for both his transition to college and for being more advanced than most first-year quarterbacks. Still, he chose to go with Garbers who is in his third season with the program while Kelly emphasized that all the quarterbacks earned their playing time.

“All three of them deserved to play,” Kelly said. “They’ve all been outstanding. It’s been a really good battle with those guys. Healthy competition and they all have their own playing time. But Ethan will take the first snap. Ethan has the most experience in our offense. So, Ethan will start the game but you’ll also see Collin [Schlee] and you’ll also see Dante.”

Dante Moore put out a statement about his status at UCLA

Amid the UCLA quarterback battle, there were rumors that Dante Moore may transfer due to his NIL situation. However, he took to Twitter to deny those rumors and clear the air

“To clear the Air these ‘Rumors’ are totally False,” Moore wrote. “I’m blessed and thankful to be a Bruin. I Love being around this brotherhood! #GoBruins.”

During Fall Camp, Dante Moore even shared how happy he is that he came to UCLA early.

“First of all, my thoughts, I’m really glad I came here early,” Moore said. “Coming in probably in the summer or like before fall camp, I know it can be really tough to come in … from high school and college is a way different speed. Areas, concepts, and everything. So I’m glad I went to spring ball. Spring ball has helped me go through a lot of you know, concepts and feel more comfortable with everything and really just, you know, building that trust within the team.”