In the coming summer, the Oregon Ducks will be moving from the PAC-12 to the Big Ten Conference alongside USC, UCLA, and Washington. Since the portal opened at the beginning of the week, former five-star quarterback Dante Moore has become a major Michigan football transfer target, and while the Wolverines still appear to be among the nation’s top contenders for Moore, it appears that Oregon may be getting the first visit.
Oregon Ducks could get first visit from top Michigan football transfer target
The quarterback position remains a pretty big question mark for Michigan football heading into the 2024 season — it all depends on whether or not JJ McCarthy stays in Ann Arbor or heads to the NFL. That said, Michigan clearly wants Dante Moore either way, and it sounds like the interest is mutual, even if McCarthy is QB1 next fall.
A few major programs are in the mix for Dante Moore as a transfer portal prospect
Right now, it appears that four teams lead the race for Dante Moore, who is transferring from UCLA after a rocky freshman year with the Bruins: Michigan football, Ohio State, Oregon, and Miami. Of these schools, only one is still playing major games: Michigan, which will face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on January 1 for a shot at the national title game.
Per reports, Moore wants to be committed to a new school sometime in January and enroll in the spring of 2024 ahead of next season. The Wolverines could very well still be playing in January — so long as they handle business in the Rose Bowl — though this timeline still matches up pretty well for Jim Harbaugh and his team.
While Dante Moore — and other transfer portal targets — is still expected to visit with Michigan football this winter, it appears that the Oregon Ducks could get the first visit. Per insider Chad Simmons, Moore is considering a visit with the Ducks next week ahead of their matchup with Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl. Additionally, seeing as Michigan is still prepping for the CFP, there is a chance that other schools — including Ohio State — get visits ahead of the Wolverines.
Michigan could have a solid shot at landing the former five-star quarterback
The bottom line remains that Dante Moore is looking for elite development and a shot at winning. Michigan offers both, especially if he can wait a year behind JJ McCarthy if the Wolverines’ junior passer decides to stick it out another year.
Moore was the No. 1 recruit in MI in the 2023 recruiting class, and while Jim Harbaugh and his staff missed on him the first time around, he has become a very notable Michigan football transfer target since hitting the portal this week, and is a name that all Wolverines fans should be keeping a close eye on.
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