Chip Kelly addresses Dante Moore's decision to transfer to rival Oregon
Quarterback, much like in the season, is the most discussed topic and position when it comes to the transfer portal. That includes those at UCLA as Chip Kelly and the Bruins will have to find a way to move on after Dante Moore, the former five-star, transferred to Oregon.
Kelly discussed Moore’s decision and the quarterback position in general in an appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Tuesday. He didn’t have anything negative to say about the freshman besides that, in the end, another player was able to win the starting gig in Pasadena.
“I love Dante. I think he’s a special young man,” said Kelly. “We have a quarterback competition here. Ethan Garbers really, at the end of the year, took the job and earned the job. We played really well, we beat SC. He played really well in our bowl game for us.”
Moore started for UCLA in five games this season and appeared in nine total. In the history of the Bruins’ program, he was just the ninth true freshman to ever earn the QB1 spot. During those outings, he completed 53.5% of his passes for just over 1,600 yards along with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
With Garbers gaining steam to end the season, though, Moore elected to enter the portal. After two weeks, he eventually landed with the Ducks in Eugene as of Monday. He will now likely sit for a year behind Dillon Gabriel, another quarterback transfer for Oregon, and develop before getting another opportunity later on.
That’s the thing too. Kelly also didn’t take Moore’s choice to personally considering how hot the market is in the portal for quarterbacks these days.
“It’s just the nature of the position. If you look at the transfer rate for all quarterbacks? It’s probably the highest position that transfers in college football,” Kelly said. “Only one guy can play. I think, when you factor in some of the other factors like NIL and some of those things? It becomes a different world.”
After earning Moore’s commitment out of high school when he was the No. 2 QB and No. 3 prospect overall, this might turn some teams off from taking a swing on highly-touted recruits if they’re just going to leave. However, in Kelly’s opinion, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you let an instance like this take certain options off the table.
“I don’t think you can cookie cutter anything and say we did this, we’ll do that,” Kelly continued. “I don’t think you’ll ever say we’re not going to do this, we’re not gonna do that. You treat everybody as an individual, you try to get to know him as well as you can based on NCAA rules, and then you try to make it work. That’s what you try to do.”
With the portal like it is, quarterbacks are going to profit and, as such, move as they please if they feel as though its best for them. Kelly likened that dynamic to the free agency period in the National Football League.
That’s why, with plenty of options out there, he just wants to find players at that position that fit hit team’s mold first and foremore above everything else.
“It’s the same in the NFL,” said Kelly. “Guys you see on one team and they don’t do anything? Now they go to another team and they flourish. It’s an interesting dynamic in this game. I think you continue to go back to what I talked about earlier. This is how we do things. Does that fit what you’re looking for?”