Why Michigan Football must continue to battle for Dante Moore

Michigan football needs to keep pushing for five-star QB Dante Moore and here’s why.

Even if you are the most casual Michigan football fan, you are probably aware of Dante Moore. The five-star quarterback is ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback in the 2023 class according to the 247sports composite.

Moore attends Martin Luther King HS in Detroit and he is the most heralded quarterback prospect from the state of Michigan since Drew Henson.

With Michigan football fresh off a Big Ten Championship and a CFP appearance, a father who is a huge Wolverine fan, and being located just 45 minutes away from Ann Arbor, you would think this would be a slam dunk recruitment for U-M.

Michigan football is trailing but needs to keep pushing

Well, Michigan has some ground to make up with Moore and Notre Dame has been the leader for months now. Moore is the only uncommitted 2023 quarterback with a Michigan scholarship offer at this time. I always have questioned that approach as the other teams on Moore’s list have extended offers to other quarterbacks and not put themselves behind the 8-ball if Moore goes elsewhere.

Ideally, schools want their quarterback committed early to serve as the face of the class and lead recruiter. Moore has not set a decision date, but he could decide this summer. However,  some Michigan fans would prefer to see Michigan move on and secure a quarterback for the class.

Of the 19 four-star quarterbacks in the 2023 class, 13 have already committed and Michigan is only involved with Moore and Avery Johnson.

In-state three-star Brady Drogosh, who may be a four-star soon, has committed to Cincinnati as well. There is also the possibility that 2024 -star CJ Carr reclassifies to 2023, however, that is a slim chance. Additionally, Moore is a better prospect than Carr in my opinion. Michigan must continue to fight for Moore until it is eliminated for several reasons.

In the 2022 class, Michigan took two quarterbacks in Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji. Both prospects have high ceilings, but neither would be considered a sure thing. Orji may ultimately switch positions. Michigan has an excellent quarterback situation right now with Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy at the top of the depth chart. However, that can change quickly.

McNamara and McCarthy will battle it out for the starting job this summer and it is hard to see the loser of the battle remaining on the roster in 2023.

Additionally, if McCarthy fulfills the expectations the Michigan faithful has for him, it won’t be long before he heads to the NFL, so Michigan needs to land an elite quarterback in 2023.

Moore may have Notre Dame as his leader right now. However, the Fighting Irish have led for months and he still has not committed yet.

Sometimes when a school leads for a prospect and cannot get him to pull the trigger, it does not end well for that school. Not to rehash old wounds but Jordan Diamond, LaQuon Treadwell, DaShawn Hand, and most recently Josh Conerly Jr, come to mind as prospects that Michigan football led for a significant period of time only to see them sign elsewhere.

Oregon, Texas A&M, and LSU are other schools in the mix for Moore. He has taken official visits to Oregon, LSU, and Miami and Texas A&M is pushing to get him for an official as well.

While Moore has taken multiple visits to Notre Dame (along with Michigan), it is interesting that he has not scheduled an official visit to Notre Dame if it is his leader. If Texas A&M secures his fourth visit, Michigan would do well to secure his last visit and get a leg up on Notre Dame. Michigan will get a chance to begin that process this weekend when Moore returns to Ann Arbor.

Lastly, Moore’s recruitment is shaping out similar to Donovan Edwards and Will Johnson. If you recall, Edwards and Johnson each had a hated rival (Ohio State) as their leader for some time.

Edwards refused when Ohio State pushed for an early commitment and the Buckeyes took TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor. Michigan football ultimately landed Edwards on Early Signing Day. The Wolverines were able to get Johnson in the fold much earlier, which would be the preferred timeline with Moore.

However, both Edwards and Johnson were five-stars from Michigan that ultimately signed with the Wolverines. Michigan football hopes that Moore follows in their footsteps.

Michigan’s ace in the hole could be head coach Jim Harbaugh. Coach Harbaugh took a personal role in becoming the lead recruiter for both Edwards and Johnson.

He could be even more impactful both as a former NFL quarterback and his track record developing quarterbacks as a coach. In that regard, Harbaugh will have a significant advantage over Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Moore may ultimately choose to attend Notre Dame, but Michigan football should not go down without a fight.