After spending just one season at UCLA, the nation’s No. 3 quarterback from the 2023 cycle is back on the market.
[autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag], a former five-star quarterback from Detroit, Michigan, signed with Chip Kelly and UCLA just two days after backing off his pledge to Oregon.
He was one of the top quarterbacks from the 2024 class, as Texas‘ Arch Manning and Tennessee‘s Nico Iamaleava were the only two quarterbacks ranked higher than Moore. Now that he is in the transfer portal, he is considered the best available option according to 247Sports.
Could Auburn use his services? Francisco Rosa of Bleacher Report believes Moore would be a great fit for head coach Hugh Freeze’s system.
Rosa cites Freeze’s development of Chad Kelly, Stephen Calvert, and Malik Willis as reasons for the fit. He also feels that the receivers in Auburn’s upcoming recruiting class will benefit Moore’s development.
And as he enters his second season at Auburn, Freeze has managed to get a top-20 recruiting class in the nation that includes five-star wideout Perry Thompson, potentially giving someone like Moore an elite weapon on the outside.
If Moore wants to head to the most competitive conference in the country and show what he’s made of, Auburn may be the best place to do it and Freeze may be the best coach to get it out of him.
Allen Trieu of 247Sports believes that Moore is a first-round talent due to his maturity, strong arm, and ability to perform well in clutch situations.
Auburn has been linked to several transfer quarterbacks such as Arkansas‘ KJ Jefferson, Mississippi State’s Will Rogers, and Duke’s Riley Leonard. Moore’s situation compared to the previous three is unique due to eligibility.
If Auburn were to take on Jefferson, Rogers, or Leonard, they would have them for one season. Moore, however, has three seasons of eligibility remaining. If Moore were to come to Auburn and perform at the level that he is expected, he could declare for the NFL draft after two seasons on the Plains, which would give incoming freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] more time to develop into an SEC quarterback.
As a true freshman, Moore competed in nine games for UCLA where he threw for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
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