Mailbag: The Ducks land Dakorien Moore, the left-handed offense and UO's biggest weakness
The Ducks weren't done on the recruiting trail.
We hit on recruiting earlier this week here on The I-5 Corridor, but we have to start today’s mailbag with an update.
That happens when a team has a Fourth of July like the Oregon Ducks had.
We set the table on Monday: Oregon’s torrid recruiting streak over the last month saw the program rise from 29th to fifth in the class of 2025 race, with the notable commitment of five-star cornerback Dorian Brew giving some heft to a class defined by blue-chip prospects. But the fireworks came Thursday when five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore lit a fuse — literally — to set off an explosion of green gas through the streets of Dallas.
“West Coast it is, baby!” Moore said in his posted commitment video. “We taking it to the West Coast.”
Inside, the fine people in the state of Texas weren’t taking the holiday news so well.
It was a move similarly recognized online in Columbus, where Moore also had Ohio State listed as a finalist.
It’s not every day the esteemed likes of BuckNasty_MD sings your praises. Then again, it’s not every day that the Ducks land a player of Moore’s caliber.
According to the 247Sports composite, Moore is the No. 1 receiver in the 2025 class, the No. 2 player in the state of Texas and the fifth-ranked player in the country. He’s 5-foot-11, 182-pounds and caught 65 passes for 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns during his junior season at Duncanville, a team coached in Dallas by Reginald Samples, the father of Oregon running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples.
With a 0.9990 rating, Moore tops Kayvon Thibodeaux (0.9987, 2019) as the highest-rated commit in program history. And while it feels like it’s a term that’s been thrown around a lot since Oregon went recruiting-happy more than a half-decade ago, Moore separates himself with his position. Yes, the Ducks brought in five-stars under Mario Cristobal. But they generally played defense. Yes, Dan Lanning just recruited the best class in Oregon history in 2024. But it was paced by two top-50 front-seven pieces.
The Ducks haven’t recruited a skill player of this magnitude since De’Anthony Thomas more than a decade ago. And for those counting: There are only 151 days left until Moore can sign his name on a letter of intent, making him officially Oregon’s — at least until the transfer portal opens up.
Ok, let’s answer a few mailbag questions:
How much will playcalling change having a left-handed QB this season? Who is going to play tackle next season? — Paul Berardi