Michigan Football: Discouraging news on 5-star QB Dante Moore

Michigan football was expected to have Dante Moore in for a visit this weekend but according to a recent report, that won’t happen. 

Just when it felt like Michigan football was going to get a little momentum with Dante Moore, it dissipates.

EJ Holland of The Wolverine, who reported that Moore would be taking a visit to Michigan football this weekend, reported late on Thursday that the visit is now off, among other things (subscription required), which is a blow for the Wolverines.

This comes on the heels of a report by 247 sports on Thursday that indicated that Moore would be taking an official visit to LSU later this month.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean things are over for Michigan. Assistant coaches can get out and visit recruits this week and the Wolverines will be visiting Moore. That you can guarantee. They will also be trying to get him on campus at another point, but it needs to happen soon.

What it all means for Michigan

That visit was supposed to be Michigan football’s opportunity to turn the tide with Moore, who recently visited Notre Dame and is projected to land with the Irish according to the On3.com prediciton machine which gives the Irish a better than 88 percent chance of winning his commitment. The Wolverines currently sit at one percent. One percent.

It’s incredibly disappointing especially because Moore is from Detroit and it’s not often that the state of Michigan produces five-star quarterbacks, although CJ Carr, Lloyd Carr’s grandson is now 23rd overall via the On3 consensus rankings in 2024 and is trending up.

Still, missing on Moore would be a tough blow for the Wolverines, with the only good news being that U-M is the firm leader with Carr, and missing on Moore would probably lock in his commitment because it would alleviate concerns about playing time down the road.

Holland also reported that Michigan could try to make a move for Arch Manning, but I don’t see that as remotely possible. Even if Jim Harbaugh is able to get Arch on campus, which isn’t impossible — he knows Peyton Manning very well and Harbaugh is still a big name, it won’t make a difference in my opinion.

The Wolverines offered Manning a few months ago but aren’t considered a player at all in his recruitment. Georiga, Texas, and Alabama are the three contenders, with Virginia also getting a visit lately as a potential darkhorse.

Maybe that’s why Michigan thinks it might have a shot. But it seems like wasted energy to me.

The Wolverines should keep after Moore but work on some other 2023 quarterbacks too, and mostly focus on landing Carr, which is the one thing that can neutralize the sting of losing Moore.