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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

2023 QB Dante Moore Goes In-Depth on Notre Dame & Recruitment Process

April 11, 2022
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2023 Martin Luther King (Mich.) quarterback Dante Moore‍ didn’t go through the motions during Saturday's Elite 11 workout in Ohio as the composite five-star prospect was sharp and engaged while also making sure he kept the atmosphere light. 

Moore earned an invite to the Elite 11 finals this summer and he’s handling his recruitment much like his workout. The Michigan native isn’t rushing into a decision and he’s very engaged with the process in hopes of choosing the perfect fit.

"I'm really trying to enjoy this process,” Moore told reporters from ISD, 247 and Rivals. “I'm thankful for even being in it. When I commit to a school, I would never have the decision of flipping or whatever I do.

“I'm trying to enjoy it all. I'm not trying to take it too fast. I'm trying to treat it like a marathon and enjoy myself and take all the visits I could possibly do since you know this is a one-time thing for sure.” 

And yes, the Martin Luther King star also understands the importance of his commitment to that school's recruiting class. Moore has done his research and is confident he’ll have playmakers around him regardless of which school ends up signing him. 

“As a quarterback, it is really important to build your class,” stated Moore. “A lot of people commit early, so they can get the class going with linemen, receivers and running backs and all that, but I believe that a lot of schools that are on my top list always have dogs. They always have the playmakers they need. A lot of it is the coaches job to get the recruits, but like I said, when a quarterback goes on board, the receivers will stick with their quarterback. I'm just trying to enjoy it all."

Notre Dame is the program that has gained momentum over the last few months and Moore made his way to South Bend for a two-day visit, which could prove to be significant as other programs tried to get the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder on campus for multiple days. 

"To be honest, they actually had a two-day thing planned for me,” explained Moore. “I actually didn't say, ‘Oh Notre Dame, I want to be there for two days,’ but they just gave me an idea if I wanted to stay there for two days. To be honest, the only reason why I really could have stayed for two days was because I was on spring break.” 

Outside of the fun activities, Moore was able to get time with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and head coach Marcus Freeman. 

Freeman made sure to let Moore know his big-picture plans for the program, including what he wanted to do with the football facilities that have been a hot a topic following the visit. 

“He was saying probably one of the biggest things he was doing was making things greater facility-wise for the football team, building everything and expand everything out,” Moore said. “That was probably one of the biggest conversations I had with him. 

“Another thing I'd probably say is we just talked about life. My dad was in the office with us too. Just checking up on each other, seeing how we're doing, seeing how he was doing, and seeing the job he has to take now just being the head coach at Notre Dame.” 

Rees and Moore had a different conversation. The meetings centered around the Notre Dame offense and Moore’s game, which was a little different than past conversations. 

"We spent our one-on-one time together and we actually watched a couple plays from what they did the day before for practice,” said Moore. “We watched some of our film and he told me the things I can work on and what I'm outstanding in.

“When me and Tommy are together, we just rarely talk about football. We always talk about how we're doing and the type of bond that we have, it's just incredible and I really appreciate that from him."

Moore also saw a different side of Rees when the Irish hit the practice field as he had never seen the Notre Dame offensive coordinator in that environment. 

“When you think of Coach Rees, you think of a cool, calm and collected guy,” stated Moore. “But when it's practice time, he's just fire, screaming here, screaming there, not in a bad way but leading and helping the quarterbacks lead the team and everything,”

Irish receiver Lorenzo Styles also impressed Moore at practice as the two had a conversation the night before and then the sophomore receiver did exactly what he said he would do the next day. 

“The biggest takeaway I'd say was seeing Lorenzo Styles,” Moore said. “Seeing him being explosive. I talked to him the night before, we're just talking, and then seeing him in practice, what he said he was going to do last night, he did in practice. So, him taking the top off and being creative - I loved the receivers. They're all creative ballplayers."

As for the offense, Moore isn’t too worried about fit at Notre Dame or anywhere else for that matter. 

"A lot of the programs nowadays are basically RPO type of teams,” Moore told ISD, 247 and Rivals. “At my high school, that's basically what I'm doing. Having the same similarities and offense feels very comfortable.

"As a quarterback, if you chose that school, they'll build an offense around you. You wouldn't be scared, 'Oh my gosh, I can't go there because it's a running school and I'm pro-style.' When you go there, they'll fix everything for you." 

All in all, the two-day trip was filled with information and meetings Moore wanted and needed to experience, including the morning view. 

“When I woke up in the morning, the best view I probably saw was the Golden Dome in the morning,” smiled Moore. “You have the sun beaming on it and it was just crazy. Seeing that outside of your window, it was probably one of the best feelings I've possibly had waking up in the morning.” 

When it comes to a decision, Moore and his family are in the process of figuring out the next step in his recruitment, which will be official visits. 

Moore paid his own way to visit several schools across the country over the last four months and he plans to use his official visits to get one final look before he makes a commitment. 

“You want to take officials because everything is basically being paid for -flights and everything,” said Moore. “Being up North, we've got money and all that but not all the money in the world, so I can't take an unofficial anywhere I go since of how money and everything is.

“For officials, you want to take advantage of the things that you can do, such as flying and everything. I'm trying to enjoy it all, so I'll be taking all my five officials. I gotta get my whole family on board, so I gotta take advantage of the opportunities."

Official visits will also allow Moore to get an in-depth look at those programs similar to what he experienced at Notre Dame earlier this month. 

“If you stay at a school for two days, I'm pretty sure they're gonna try to do the utmost to give everything,” stated Moore. “But a lot of schools, I visited for a couple hours so they only can do meetings, practices or game day or wherever it is.

“The treatment, a lot of places has been the same, but like I said, Notre Dame just took it out the roof because I was there for two days and they had way more things planned. For officials and everything, I'm pretty sure they're going to give the best treatment for everybody."

Notre Dame is a program Moore will likely take an official to despite the recent trip and proximity to Detroit. 

“I'm pretty sure I'll be taking an official down there,” said Moore. “Like I said, I don't have anything planned yet. The two-day visit was actually a great visit and all that. I'm probably going to take an official and all that, but I just gotta get everything planned out with my family."

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