The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1465168
44 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2022 BY EJ HOLLAND M ichigan quarterback recruiting is an interesting topic of conversa- tion. Only one player gets to take the field at the position, and in the age of the trans- fer portal, recruiting the position has be- come one of the more difficult tasks for college football staffs across the country. Michigan experienced this last cycle. After reeling in a borderline five-star signal-caller in J.J. McCarthy in the 2021 recruiting class, the Wolverines had a difficult time recruiting quarterbacks just a year later. Michigan settled for a project in Jayden Denegal last summer and eventually added super athlete Alex Orji during the early signing period. Denegal didn't see the field during the spring game, and while Orji definitely flashed with his athleticism, his biggest upside may be on the defensive side of the ball. Landing a top-end quarterback in 2023 is the expectation — edit: landing five-star Detroit King quarterback Dante Moore is the expectation. Michigan has opted to play a danger- ous game this cycle. The Wolverines are all-in on Moore and aren't actively re- cruiting any other prospects at the posi- tion. While that's a big selling point, rela- tionships may be the biggest factor in the race for Moore, the No. 4 quarterback and No. 9 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Consensus. U-M quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss is doing a better job connecting with Moore on a personal level, and there is no doubt the elite passer respects his football acumen. "Coach Weiss and I recently talked about practice and the new plays they've been putting in," Moore said. "They had some new concepts with Andrel [An- thony] and the offense. "We checked up on each other and talked about practice. When I first met Coach Weiss, I get a vibe that he's intel- ligent, smart and knows what he's doing. He's a step ahead. "At first it was a little off with him, but you have to get close to him. Now, he's joking around more. He's cool. He's more serious than goofy, but he's a good guy." Area recruiter Ron Bellamy is doing his part as well. Bellamy has known Moore since he was in middle school. In fact, Moore almost joined Bellamy at West Bloom- field, where the latter was the head coach, before ultimately opting to at- FOOTBALL RECRUITING U-M Quarterback Recruiting Stays All-In On Dante Moore Moore, who holds a five-star rating in the On3 Consensus, remains Michigan's priority target at quarterback. The Detroit King signal-caller intends to take all of his official visits and is tar- geting late summer for his college decision. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND