Prospective QB Dante Moore is flipping from Oregon State to UCLA

Dante Moore3 player in the class of 2023, told ESPN that he turned his college commitment to UCLA from Oregon State.

Moore is the 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback from Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. He led King to a state title earlier this month, and in his four-year high school career, the junior threw for 135 total touchdowns and nearly 10,000 receiving yards.

Moore visited UCLA earlier this month and said he chose the Bruins because he felt they would be best for his development.

“I went on a visit to UCLA,” Moore told ESPN. “I spoke to God, my people, and really into myself. I knew UCLA was the right move for me.”

Moore noted that the biggest factor in his flip from Oregon State was former Oregon State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who took over as head coach at Arizona State. He said he and Dillingham had a relationship going back at least three years. He said he was happy for Dillingham—”I’m proud of him, I don’t hate him at all”—and appreciated all that the Oregon staff did while he was hired.

Moore has been committed there since July. He said quarterback Bo Nix’s decision to return next year, which was announced last night, did not influence his decision. He said he appreciated the way the Oregon coaches handled his decision to commit elsewhere.

“It’s a place I still really love,” said Moore. “We have never lost any love. I appreciate them recruiting me, taking my commitment, and understanding my situation.”

Moore’s commitment marks the highest hiring win during Chip Kelly’s tenure at Westwood, which is entering its sixth season. Moore trails only No. 1 Malachi Nelson (USC) and No. 2 Arch Manning (Texas) in the ESPN 300 rankings.

According to ESPN Stats & Information Research, Moore’s commitment as the No. 3 player in the class ties a record for UCLA, joining Jaelan Phillips of the Class of 2017 for the highest-ranked player in school history. (ESPN’s ratings go back to 2006.) Moore is also the first five-star ESPN 300 recruit of Kelly’s career, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Moore stated that UCLA’s orientation to the Big Ten, where he will begin play in the 2024 season, was a factor in his decision.

“TV time and exposure would be great for me to market myself as the quarterback and athlete at this point,” he said.

Moore said the NIL did not play a large role in his decision. He acknowledged that if he played well at UCLA the chances would be nil, but said on his recruiting visits that he would refuse to go to NIL meetings if they appeared on his itinerary. He said he didn’t want a dollar amount given to him by a school to influence a decision that should be based on football.

“I want to keep football as the main thing and be a college student and enjoy life,” he said. “Football is the main thing for me. That’s what I love, and I can keep that main thing.”

Moore credits the bond he built with Kelly, quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson, and wide receivers coach Jerry Neuheisel in hiring him.

Kelly is one of the most innovative offensive callers in college football, and Moore gives him a high-profile quarterback who could be a key focus for the Bruins as they reach the Big Ten.

Moore grew up watching Marcus Mariota at Oregon and remembers Kelly’s passing options game while Mariota coached there, prior to Kelly’s departure for the NFL.

Kelly is entering his sixth year at UCLA and has gone 17-7 the past two years.

Over the course of his career, Kelly has explored ways to maximize different styles of quarterback, leading Oregon’s Dennis Dixon in a Heisman-caliber season in 2007 when Dixon finished as the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Dixon Heisman’s campaign was derailed by injury.

Kelly coached Ricky Santos to become New Hampshire’s MVP in 2005, worked with Darron Thomas on a team that played for a national title in 2010 and led Mariota to a prolific rookie season in 2012. Kelly’s return to college football is at UCLA in Los Angeles featured five years of Dorian Thompson Robinson as the starting quarterback, including the star of 2022 when he was responsible for 36 touchdowns.

Kelly coached with both the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers as a head coach in the NFL. Besides Mariota, Moore also mentioned NFL coaching Kelly Colin Kaepernick as someone he’d seen throughout the year.

Moore said his hiring priority was a place he could develop best, and he feels he found that at UCLA.

“Coach Kelly, who’s been in the game for a long time and been in the NFL and being in college and recruiting young kids, told us not to rush anything,” said Moore. He added, “Coach Kelly is a very funny and intelligent guy. He knows a lot about the body and how quarterbacks work and he has a program that helps the player. … I know Coach Kelly is an amazing mentor and a person I can trust in my years in college.”

Moore’s commitment marks UCLA’s second major Continental commitment in recent days. Kent State Transfer Colin Shelley He announced on Saturday that he is committed to the Bruins.

Moore told ESPN that he is graduating early from high school and will be attending UCLA in January.