'23 MI QB Dante Moore (Greek Spaghetti Transfer)

[CoachB]

I personally don't think Dante is the type of kid that is all about the Benjamins. I really think that he does have affection for ND. If ND and Dante split, I think likely it is something like ND was forced to move forward with recruiting because Dante's was looking murky, at best. Then maybe CJ expressed interest in committing, but only if Dante wasn't going to commit. ND had their choice between CJ and Dante and Dante was giving indications that he wasn't completely sold. So then ND went with CJ and told Dante that is their plan moving forward. I could be completely wrong, but trying to come up with scenarios where ND wouldn't keep pursuing Dante also. That being said, I wouldn't be heartbroken if either CJ or Sayin reclassified. I would LOVE the depth of having 2 of 3 of these studs.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Where is the Turtle? Need some inside info.

 

[stlnd01]

I personally don't think Dante is the type of kid that is all about the Benjamins. I really think that he does have affection for ND. If ND and Dante split, I think likely it is something like ND was forced to move forward with recruiting because Dante's was looking murky, at best. Then maybe CJ expressed interest in committing, but only if Dante wasn't going to commit. ND had their choice between CJ and Dante and Dante was giving indications that he wasn't completely sold. So then ND went with CJ and told Dante that is their plan moving forward. I could be completely wrong, but trying to come up with scenarios where ND wouldn't keep pursuing Dante also. That being said, I wouldn't be heartbroken if either CJ or Sayin reclassified. I would LOVE the depth of having 2 of 3 of these studs.

Yeah. I don't entirely buy the "Dante auctioning himself to the highest bidder" angle either, or necessarily that Notre Dame "dropped" him over it. I think he wanted to come here and told the staff that. But then the "looking around and making sure" phase of the courtship just dragged on too long and an equally good option emerged in Carr. You take Carr's commit every day of the week in that scenario, regardless of class.

If Dante still wants to come to ND, I'd probably take him too, but more likely outcome now is a breakup. He goes to Michigan or Miami and either Carr reclassifies or we scrounge up the best available three/low-four-star as a stopgap.

 

[Sea Turtle]

8

Where is the Turtle? Need some inside info.

The dog barks but the caravan moves along.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I think you have to drop Dante even if he wants to come to ND. As another poster alluded to, he’s shown he only cares about money, and he’ll bail for $$ before signing day or transfer for more $$ later. You don’t want that baggage. The NFL is full of those mediocre money grabbers. This is a team sport, regardless of how good you “could” be. I’d try like hell to get Avery Johnson with an oh man, did we screw up on you approach after he lights it up at the Elite 11 Finals.

I don't think this is the case at all.

For example, it is completely possible that:

(1) Dante is getting the bad but very, very popular advice that he has to take his time and "trust the process" and not make decision until he does his due diligence on the schedule he set out at the beginning of his recruitment;

(2) Dante's parents live on planet earth and are taking seriously any 7-figure offers because there is absolutely no guarantee Dante makes it to the NFL, even as a 5-star.

Long story short, there are a whole lot of other reasons besides senseless greed that Dante is doing what he is doing.

 

[Dale]

(1) Dante is getting the bad but very, very popular advice that he has to take his time and "trust the process" and not make decision until he does his due diligence on the schedule he set out at the beginning of his recruitment;

I don’t necessarily agree whatever piece of advice he is going by being popular sentiment though. The popular sentiment is QBs go like dominoes, commit early and build their class. Dante said not my problem but let me reserve my spot just enough which is a bit of attempting a cake and eat it too. Once Jaden Rashada commits next weekend, Dante and Arch will be the only elite QBs left uncommitted. The only other recruitment that has resembled Dante’s is Rashada and he A) never made a silent, B) is calling it next week and C) is a known NIL focused prospect. The only one left will be Arch who has informed teams they are out along the way and never made a silent.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Long story short, there are a whole lot of other reasons besides senseless greed that Dante is doing what he is doing.

I doubt that's the problem here. ND fans are upset because Dante apparently made promises to Freeman that we've thus far relied on to our detriment, and then he changed his timeline. That indicates that he overestimated the amount of leverage he has in this process.

There's nothing wrong per se with being NIL-focused or wanting to draw out the process as long as possible. But you do need to be upfront with programs about your intentions and to follow through on your verbal commitments.

I don’t necessarily agree whatever piece of advice he is going by being popular sentiment though. The popular sentiment is QBs go like dominoes, commit early and build their class. Dante said not my problem but let me reserve my spot just enough which is a bit of attempting a cake and eat it too. Once Jaden Rashada commits next weekend, Dante and Arch will be the only elite QBs left uncommitted. The only other recruitment that has resembled Dante’s is Rashada and he A) never made a silent, B) is calling it next week and C) is a known NIL focused prospect. The only one left will be Arch who has informed teams they are out along the way and never made a silent.

Exactly. None of the other elite prospects have handled this as poorly as Dante has.

 

[ACamp1900]

I hereby state officially my divergence from what seems to be the now popular IE feelings and go on record that I want Dante at ND regardless...

 

[NDLS_USMC]

I hereby state officially my divergence from what seems to be the now popular IE feelings and go on record that I want Dante at ND regardless...

It's like everyone forgets what it is like to be 18 and have many competiting voices in your ear.

 

[greyhammer90]

I hereby state officially my divergence from what seems to be the now popular IE feelings and go on record that I want Dante at ND regardless...

 

[GATTACA!]

I hereby state officially my divergence from what seems to be the now popular IE feelings and go on record that I want Dante at ND regardless...

Yeah me too. Kinda funny to watch people that laugh at EJ for flipping the narrative on players Michigan misses on by saying in retrospect that they weren’t a take, also now say they don’t want Dante once it’s looking like he might not end up at ND.

 

[ACamp1900]

Standing alone before the darkness is kind of my thing,.... being a true leader is hard but I've had years of practice.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

It's like everyone forgets what it is like to be 18 and have many competiting voices in your ear.

18yos in fact do have moral agency, and most of them understand intuitively the importance of keeping one's word.

Yeah me too. Kinda funny to watch people that laugh at EJ for flipping the narrative on players Michigan misses on by saying in retrospect that they weren’t a take, also now say they don’t want Dante once it’s looking like he might not end up at ND.

Who said they wouldn't take Dante anymore? As grey mentioned above, if a 5-star QB wants in for a class where you currently have none committed, you take him regardless. This whole discussion was kicked off by a question about how the process could suddenly be "weighing on" Dante. I think it's clear that he's mismanaged his relationship with our staff, and now his position is much less secure than he thought previously. That's all.

 

[Dale]

It's like everyone forgets what it is like to be 18 and have many competiting voices in your ear.

Amorion Walker in a weird way let off the hook as a 18 year old mistake because he showed signs of just being an 18 year old. He basically ghosted the staff at times and I’m very sure BK wasn’t exactly involved lol.

Moore talked to Bowden, Rees and Freeman daily and trumpeted those relationships. Loy has used words to describe NDs camp recently as confused and frustrated.

It’d certainly welcome him here if it meant we also keep CJ and if not Texas A&M, Oregon, Miami etc aren’t exactly the worst of landing spots. But I think the way it was handled if it goes the path currently expected Dante will regret.

 

[ColinKSU]

I don't think this is the case. He probably had more options than were thinking currently, but almost every other school he visited immediately pivoted to next options.

If that is because they were told "I'm going to ND" then, yes, it sounds like they are an option again.

If they were told some ridiculous $$, plus a timeline that was only favorable to the Moore's, then most schools likely are going to continue down their path B,C,D, etc.

I suppose the Moore's in seeing that they didn't quite play their cards right could re-evaluate their stance on $$/timeline and reach back out to all these schools. But it would be foolish to accept that commitment now and not think they wouldn't double back closer to signing day. They have shown their true colors, imo.

So, with all that said, I think they still have good options, but those options are a smaller group and likely come from schools that now have the leverage on their side.

Definitely. I don't think Dante is a bad kid, but something about his recruitment has stunk for a long time. My guess would be the people around him.

There's nothing illegal about what they're doing with the new rules, but I wouldn't blame any school that decided his circus wasn't worth the headache.

 

[ACamp1900]

18yos in fact do have moral agency, and most of them understand intuitively the importance of keeping one's word.

On a serious note,... the successful ones have the above, those who struggle do not. I can usually tell who will pass and who will fail my courses after one week just off of who has the needed maturity and who has a proper grasp of agency and who doesn't.

 

[NDPhilly]

Tbh, the Moores and no one around them have a blueprint on how to navigate a NIL recruiting world. While they've handled this horribly, it almost inevitable for some prospects given the amount of money being thrown around and the nascent stage of the pay-for-play world we're in.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I doubt that's the problem here. ND fans are upset because Dante apparently made promises to Freeman that we've thus far relied on to our detriment, and then he changed his timeline. That indicates that he overestimated the amount of leverage he has in this process.

There's nothing wrong per se with being NIL-focused or wanting to draw out the process as long as possible. But you do need to be upfront with programs about your intentions and to follow through on your verbal commitments.

Exactly. None of the other elite prospects have handled this as poorly as Dante has.

That's all fine, and I agree that if Freeman thinks he is being played he should move on, but I was responding to this:

"As another poster alluded to, he’s shown he only cares about money, and he’ll bail for $$ before signing day or transfer for more $$ later. You don’t want that baggage. The NFL is full of those mediocre money grabbers. "

I don't think we have any way of knowing all that Dante cares about is money. Its a FACT that our coaches definitely lead kids on and then move on if something better drops in their lap. We call it "slow-playing." If the coaches are going to be salesmen and treat it as business, I think they kids are going to do the same stuff right back.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Darkness hides the Hippopotamus

 

[Irish du Nord]

Standing alone before the darkness is kind of my thing,.... being a true leader is hard but I've had years of practice.

Condoms by 70

 

[ACamp1900]

Condoms by 70

That’s ridiculous,… 55 is much more reasonable

 

[Whiskeyjack]

That's all fine, and I agree that if Freeman thinks he is being played he should move on, but I was responding to this:

"As another poster alluded to, he’s shown he only cares about money, and he’ll bail for $$ before signing day or transfer for more $$ later. You don’t want that baggage. The NFL is full of those mediocre money grabbers. "

I don't think we have any way of knowing all that Dante cares about is money. Its a FACT that our coaches definitely lead kids on and then move on if something better drops in their lap. We call it "slow-playing." If the coaches are going to be salesmen and treat it as business, I think they kids are going to do the same stuff right back.

I missed that post, and agree that's not a reasonable assumption to make about Dante.

But do you recall the recent dust-up over Sedrick Irvin? His camp claimed that ND "processed" him by pulling his scholarship offer which, if true, is upsetting because ND has historically been better than that. I'm still not convinced that's what happened, but I don't see any hypocrisy here. When ND extends a commitable offer and a recruit accepts it, that needs to be honored. Similarly, when a 5-star QB recruit makes promises to ND that we rely on to our detriment, those commitments should also be honored.

If you're not ready to commit and be held to your word, then simply don't do it. Manning and Rashada have seemingly kept their options open without leading anyone on behind the scenes.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I couldn't agree more that D1 football--NCAA, coaches, parents, everyone--does a terrible job teaching players to be men of their words.

And I do think ND likely did the Irving thing in a reasonable manner. I just think its a matter of the window of acceptable behavior constantly moving. ND is almost always on the better side of things, but I do think they move with the window as a matter of survival.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I couldn't agree more that D1 football--NCAA, coaches, parents, everyone--does a terrible job teaching players to be men of their words.

And I do think ND likely did the Irving thing in a reasonable manner. I just think its a matter of the window of acceptable behavior constantly moving. ND is almost always on the better side of things, but I do think they move with the window as a matter of survival.

That's reasonable. I hope the bridge with Dante hasn't been completely burned, and I'd welcome his commitment if he wanted to start acting like the leader his future team will need him to be. But it doesn't seem unreasonable to say that Dante has overplayed his hand/ mismanaged his relationship with our staff. We'll see what he does from here.

 

[Reaper97]

Anyone listening to Driskell & Ryan Roberts?

Driskell just put Dante’s father on blast.

Didn’t name him, but made it obvious he was talking about him.

Said Dante wants ND, Dante doesn’t want money, Dante doesn’t want to visit everywhere, Dante wants it to be over.
Then talked about how someone else in his life is in control of it all & wants all those things (except ND).

Sounds like dad isn’t allowing Dante to ND.

 

[NDMatt91]

Definitely interesting th

Anyone listening to Driskell & Ryan Roberts?

Driskell just put Dante’s father on blast.

Didn’t name him, but made it obvious he was talking about him.

Said Dante wants ND, Dante doesn’t want money, Dante doesn’t want to visit everywhere, Dante wants it to be over.
Then talked about how someone else in his life is in control of it all & wants all those things (except ND).

Sounds like dad isn’t allowing Dante to ND.

If his dad wants him at Michigan, then the confusing thing to me is why he'd allow his son to visit other schools. Not just ND, but A&M, Oregon, LSU, etc.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

If his dad wants him at Michigan, then the confusing thing to me is why he'd allow his son to visit other schools. Not just ND, but A&M, Oregon, LSU, etc.

Would explain a lot. And Dante certainly wouldn't be the first athlete with a meddling father looking to live vicariously through his son.

As for why he'd allow Dante to visit other schools, there are lots of possibilities. UM is a mess right now and Harbaugh is a weirdo who will clearly bolt for the first NFL opportunity he gets, so Dante may have already taken that possibility off the table entirely. Other than that, I'm sure his dad is enjoying the booster-funded binges right alongside his son.

 

[Reaper97]

Anyone listening to Driskell & Ryan Roberts?

Driskell just put Dante’s father on blast.

Didn’t name him, but made it obvious he was talking about him.

Said Dante wants ND, Dante doesn’t want money, Dante doesn’t want to visit everywhere, Dante wants it to be over.
Then talked about how someone else in his life is in control of it all & wants all those things (except ND).

Sounds like dad isn’t allowing Dante to ND.

They also said Drayk Bowen said Dante went silent with all the ND commits/recruits about a week ago.

 

[allenm5333]

Definitely interesting th

If his dad wants him at Michigan, then the confusing thing to me is why he'd allow his son to visit other schools. Not just ND, but A&M, Oregon, LSU, etc.

Maybe it isn't Michigan he wants but the bag

 

[ThePiombino]

Anyone listening to Driskell & Ryan Roberts?

Driskell just put Dante’s father on blast.

Didn’t name him, but made it obvious he was talking about him.

Said Dante wants ND, Dante doesn’t want money, Dante doesn’t want to visit everywhere, Dante wants it to be over.
Then talked about how someone else in his life is in control of it all & wants all those things (except ND).

Sounds like dad isn’t allowing Dante to ND.

It's Driskell, so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but if this is true...woof. What a shame that a father could be SO selfish as to potentially negatively impact his own child's future.