Oregon Recruiting Class Takes Big Hit After Bo Nix Elects To Return To Eugene For 2023 Season, UCLA Makes History

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It's been a rather eventful 24 hours or so for the Oregon football program. On Sunday night the Ducks officially announced that quarterback Bo Nix would be returning in 2023 for his final season of eligibility. While most Oregon fans would agree that's great news for the program, a recruiting update on Monday spoiled that party.

Five-star quarterback Dante Moore out of Detroit, Mich., de-committed from Oregon and pledged his commitment to the UCLA Bruins. Moore had been committed to Oregon since July 2022.

Moore's commitment to UCLA comes just two days before early signing day for the 2023 class. 

Why Dante Moore Flipped From Oregon To UCLA

While news of Nix returning for another season likely played some sort of role in Moore's decision, the departure of offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who left Oregon for the head coaching job at Arizona State, weighed on his choice to commit to UCLA.

“A lot of this plays a big part in Coach Dillingham Leaving,” Moore told On3. “We had a bond for many years and that was the piece that made me feel really confident going in. Not saying Coach Stein won’t be able to do his job but when you have a bond and so much trust in an OC and he leaves it’s kind of like a slow down and weigh back your options.”

While the Moore de-commitment is bad news for Oregon, it's historical news for the Bruins.

Moore, the No. 3 ranked QB in the 2023 class, is the highest-ranked quarterback to commit to UCLA in the modern recruiting era.

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The 6-foot-3 quarterback led Martin Luther King High School to a state title earlier this month and ended his high school career with 135 passing touchdowns and nearly 10,000 passing yards.

Moore commits to the Bruins after having received offers from the likes of LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State and a number of other Power Five schools.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.