Dante Moore is the key to Michigan Football’s 2023 recruiting class

If there is one recruit Michigan football needs to land in the class of 2023, it’s five-star quarterback Dante Moore. 

Michigan football is hard at work building its 2022 recruiting class and so far, the Wolverines have gotten off to a solid start.

There are six recruits committed in the class of 2022 and none are bigger than five-star, in-state cornerback Will johnson. He’s the headliner right now of a class that ranks 19th in the country but still has a lot of work to do.

The big thing so far has been getting Johnson, the top player in the state of Michigan in the class of 2022. The state doesn’t turn out tons of five-star recruits, so when they do come around, Michigan football has to get them.

That was the case in 2021 when the Wolverines were able to win the recruitment of Donovan Edwards, who was ranked as a five-star running back by 247 sports.

Ohio State was the mix, so was Georgia, but in the end, Michigan football was able to keep an elite player home and U-M hopes to do the same with elite 2023 quarterback Dante Moore.

Michigan football offered Moore way back in 2018, the first program to do so and the Wolverines have built a strong connection.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound quarterback has quickly developed into one of the top quarterbacks in the country after throwing 33 touchdowns during the 2020 season.

While Arch Manning is getting much of the attention in the 2023 class, Moore is a legit five-star prospect in his own right and is the No. 3 quarterback in 2021, as well as the 16th player overall.

According to Rivals, Michigan is among the early leaders, although Adam Gorney said it’s hard to read Moore.

"“Moore is not giving up the goods when it comes to favorites and he wants to take a lot of visits before a decision, but many feel Michigan has a strong shot with the four-star quarterback from Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King. Notre Dame and others could be very much in the early picture as well.”"

Moore’s recruitment is starting to go more national, but right now, Michigan football and Notre Dame appear to be the top contenders, although other big-name programs such as Penn State, Oregon and Auburn are in the mix.

With its early offer and making him a priority, Michigan does feel like the favorite and even has a Futurecast pick from Rivals’ expert EJ Holland, projecting a commitment to the Wolverines.

it might seem early to be talking about a commitment for a 2023 quarterback but J.J. McCarthy, Michigan’s five-star QB from 2021, committed in the spring of 2019.

Essentially, it’s the same time window that Moore will be in over the next few months. There are some key differences such as official visits just opening up this summer, something that hasn’t been the case in over a year.

But the big-time quarterbacks tend to make decisions earlier and it wouldn’t be shocking if Moore was ready to decide before the fall and his senior season.

Why Moore’s commitment matters so much

It’s huge for a few reasons. One this is the best local quarterback prospect in quite some time. Michigan has missed on a few elite recruits in the state, but five-star quarterbacks from Michigan are pretty rare and the Wolverines just have to take advantage.

Secondly, with McCarthy already in the fold, that could give Michigan two five-star quarterbacks recruits in three classes.

The class of 2022 has become a bit of a struggle for the Wolverines at quarterback and it appears that Nate Johnson, who is visiting in June, could be the top target there or at least one of them.

Either way, Michigan is looking at a lower-profile take at QB in 2022, which makes Moore even more important because he could keep the line of elite signal-callers intact.

McCarthy could play the next few years and Moore could take his place. It might be wishful thinking but it’s possible and that’s why this recruitment is a must-win for Michigan.