The Oregon Ducks were sitting pretty with their 2023 recruiting class but Chip Kelly and UCLA have thrown a wrench into that by flipping QB Dante Moore.
With college football’s Early Signing Period coming to a close on Dec. 21, it appeared that Dan Lanning had the Oregon Ducks ready to secure one of the better classes in the country. That class was undoubtedly headlined by a pair of 5-stars, the most important of which was quarterback Dante Moore, ranked as the No. 11 overall player in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 3 player in the site’s own rankings.
Like burgers in the back at McDonald’s, though, this is flipping season. And Chip Kelly will take a Double Quarter-Pounder with Cheese for the UCLA football program.
On Monday, Kelly and the Bruins flipped Moore to UCLA, making him the highest-rated recruit in the history of the Bruins football program, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
UCLA football recruiting: Chip Kelly flips 5-star QB Dante Moore from Oregon
Kelly and his staff have been active in the past few days, specifically on the quarterback market. With Dorian Thompson-Robertson departing, they landed one of the best transfers in the portal at the position in former Kent State signal-caller Collin Schlee. Now they have Moore coming in behind him.
Landing Moore’s commitment moves UCLA football up 25 spots from No. 52 to No. 27 in the 2023 recruiting rankings from the 247Sports Composite.
Even though he joins Schlee, recruiting experts believe that Moore could be the starter for the Bruins right away as he’s experienced from his time at Detroit Martin Luther King in high school and given his big arm, frame and athleticism.
As for Oregon, this is a big blow to Lanning and his QB room, though the return of Bo Nix for the 2023 season could’ve been a major factor in Moore’s decision to flip his commitment. Still, it does throw the future of the position into more question for Lanning as he enters year two with the Ducks.
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