Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Which school is getting 5-Star quarterback Dante Moore?

There is no more important prospect in the 2023 recruiting class for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish than 5-Star quarterback Dante Moore. The position and the star ranking have been both a rallying cry and a harsh reminder of what’s been missing in South Bend throughout the Brian Kelly era. If Notre Dame were to miss on a top QB prospect in this cycle it wouldn’t break the program, but a 5-Star commitment helps the Irish along the path of MAKE.

Quarterback recruiting is always an interesting thing to follow nationally. Given the nature of the position, it’s difficult for most programs to stack top QB’s in consecutive classes — although it certainly happens. Even more interesting is the domino effect quarterback recruiting creates — which is a series of commitments to programs that follow a type of logic consistent with post hoc ergo propter hoc (a fallacy).

On Tuesday, Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports published an article that spoke about the domino effect that’s likely to start happening in the 2023 cycle at quarterback. As far as Notre Dame and Dante Moore are concerned, Wiltfong had plenty to say about the recruitment.

Notre Dame’s top two quarterback targets are Dante Moore and Chris Vizzina. There is a real danger, however, that if Notre Dame misses on Moore, the path to get Vizzina will be much harder as the southern powers and the Ohio State Buckeyes are pushing hard.

Notre Dame has zeroed in on Moore and maintained contact with Vizzina. If Notre Dame is going to finish No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite class rankings, landing one of them will be pivotal in that pursuit.

A handful of schools stand out with Moore besides Notre Dame. The in-state Michigan Wolverines might be the biggest competition, but Miami and LSU also are very much in the mix thanks to former coaches of Notre Dame and Michigan; Brian Kelly and Josh Gattis.

LSU is also near the top for Dante Moore, hosting him and his father for a weekend earlier this spring. Moore stopped by Gainesville as part of a bus tour last week.

The good news here is that Wiltfong hints that the Irish look like the leader right now for Moore, but are still making plans to try and cover their asses with Vizzinia’s recruitment. What’s also nice to hear is that we may be approaching a finish line (of sorts) with a decision.

Talking to a staffer at Detroit King, I wouldn’t be surprised if Moore is off the board sooner rather than later. Obviously there has been a lot of Notre Dame buzz. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish are all in here. If that goes sideways, Vizzina is still on the line and they’re working to line up an official with him as well.

Moore is on a bus tour that’s included trips to Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Miami, and along with Oregon and LSU there are several challengers to the Irish down the stretch. Moore got out to Oregon in January for a weekend and Ducks offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham has been recruiting him as long as any passer he’s been on in the 2022 cycle. As a junior en route to a state championship, Moore threw for 3,050 yards and 40 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He’s worth the hustle for these schools. Texas A&M offered Monday as they try and find their guy after losing Holstein.

BUT — will it be Notre Dame that gets the signature of Dante Moore? In all honesty, with the reality of NIL in college football, I think it’s a much harder prediction to make — even right now. On3’s Mike Singer with Blue and Gold Illustrated has a prediction in for Notre Dame to land Moore, but the 247 Crystal Ball has no predictions posted at this point.

That domino effect that Wiltfong speaks about would certainly create even more anxiety for Notre Dame if Moore doesn’t go their way. As we said, Vizzinia is the only real name left of the seven QB offers with Avery Johnson being another possibility — albeit a small one at this point.

So, does Notre Dame land Dante Moore? Personally, I have more doubts than most at this point in his recruitment. I’m not closing the door by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s definitely one of those I’m going to have to see it to believe it type of things.

What do you think? Will the Irish get Moore or will they have to look elsewhere? Where does Moore end up if it’s not Notre Dame? How important is he to this class, and how important is he to the program at this point? Let’s talk about it.

On3 Evaluation of Dante Moore:

Pocket passer who is one of the more accurate and efficient quarterbacks in the 2023 cycle. Skilled as a touch passer with the ability to layer throws and deliver with accuracy and nuance. Has a quick, natural release that aids in the short passing and RPO game. Shows a good arm both on video and in camp settings. Capable of hitting on deep shots off of play action. Put together a highly efficient and productive junior season in leading Martin Luther King to a state title while completing 73 percent of his passes for over 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns against three interceptions. Does not appear to be quite the athlete or run threat as some of the other top quarterbacks in the cycle at this time. Will need to continue improving his movement skills and foot quickness.