UCLA QB Dante Moore makes debut, leads Bruins on TD drive in 2nd quarter vs. Coastal Carolina

One of the top quarterback prospects in the entire country in the 2023 signing class made his collegiate debut late on Saturday night. Amid some first half offensive malaise, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly went to his bench and inserted true freshman quarterback Dante Moore in place of Ethan Garbers.

At the time, just past the halfway point of the second quarter, UCLA led 7-3. Moore, after a few handoffs, hit a long completion down the field to transfer wideout J. Michael Sturdivant.

Rolling to his right, Moore evaded the rush and kept scanning downfield before finding Studivant.

Dante Moore’s second career pass attempt was … pretty impressive pic.twitter.com/gNKEAtp72b

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 3, 2023

Just a handful of plays later, Moore rolled to this left and rather than running, found transfer running back Carson Steele out wide. He flipped him the ball and Steele barreled into the end zone for a touchdown.

UCLA Five-Star Plus+ true freshman Dante Moore’s first collegiate drive:

🐻 3/4 comp
🐻 53 yards
🐻 Touchdown

Welcome to CFB🫡pic.twitter.com/jGkTAnAh4E

— On3 (@On3sports) September 3, 2023

It’s just the first few moments for Moore, but more plays like this will have him playing more and more for the Bruins or, eventually, the starting job itself.

It’s also not a surprise to see Moore, one of the top recruits regardless of position in the 2023 signing class, shine early. Playing at Martin Luther King (Mich.) High School out of Detroit, Moore was the 2023 Michigan Gatorade player of the year and led his squad to a state championship. He was the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the On3 Industry Ranking.

Moore said it’s a ‘blessing’ to be in the UCLA QB rotation

Kelly opted to roll out a three-quarterback system this year, with Garbers as the starter for Week 1 against Coastal Carolina. That meant Moore is behind him after the competition through camp.

Still, he’s keeping things in perspective.

Moore talked about what it means to be in the mix in UCLA’s quarterback rotation as a true freshman. He and Collin Schlee will both likely see action in the opener, according to Kelly, even though Garbers will start. To be in that conversation, Moore said, is special.

“It’s a true blessing, for sure,” Moore said. “I know this quarterback room is really special. There’s many great quarterbacks. I’m the youngest in the room, so being out here with Garbs, Collin, Justyn [Martin] and especially Chase [Griffin]. Being out there, learning from them, learning from their mistakes, them telling me stories about just how the game goes and stuff like that. It’s a true blessing, for sure.”