Oregon Ducks freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore is one of the more exciting newcomers to join the program in recent years, and he has already caught the attention of former NFL receivers Dez Bryant and Torrey Smith. Moore posted a picture of himself from spring practice, and Smith and Bryant responded to him on social media.
"He is going to be special! One of the more gifted, humble, competitive, and hardworking people I've been around at any level. Remember the name!" wrote Smith.
Torrey Smith had an eight-year career as an NFL wide receiver, and he won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens before winning a second with the Philadelphia Eagles. It's safe to say his opinion holds weight when speaking on the potential of Moore.
Bryant's reaction was much simpler, writing "Uno!" in response on social media. The former Dallas Cowboys star was most likely reacting to Moore's jersey number as he is set to wear No. 1 with the Ducks.
This is not the first time that Bryant has interacted with Moore on social media, however. After the Oregon freshman made some highlight plays in the Texas Class 6A Division I state semifinals, and he caught the attention of Bryant.
"@OregonFootball I’m at the game and I just saw DKM do some crazy s*** for 6.. y’all got 1 for sure!"Bryant wrote.
Moore has impressed in the Ducks' first few spring practices, but the path for playing time is still somewhat crowded for the highly-touted recruit. On Oregon's roster are returning wide receivers like Evan Stewart, Gary Bryant Jr., and Justius Lowe. Additionally, wideouts like Kyler Kasper and Jurrion Dickey have been in the program for a few years and are expected to contribute in 2025, while Jeremiah McClellan is entering his redshirt freshman season.
Still, the Ducks will be replacing a lot of production with wide receivers Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden as well as tight end Terrance Ferguson departing for the NFL Draft. Oregon's quarterback is expected to be Dante Moore, and he recently spoke about Dakorien's leadership on the Ducks of a Feather podcast.
“Dakorien’s stepping up and doing it,” said Dante Moore. “We all respect that, you know, Dakorien calling people out. Last year it was [Jeffrey] Bassa, it was Dillon [Gabriel] that was, you know, the grown folks pushing each other, holding each other accountable."
As a recruit, Moore was a consensus five-star prospect, and he was the No. 4 overall player in 247Sports' rankings. Moore was also rated as the No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 2 recruit out of Texas, according to the same rankings. The only recruit from Texas ranked higher than Moore? His high school quarterback and Alabama signee Keelon Russell.
"Dakorien is a guy that I love to be able to talk about. One of the things I think people don't realize when you talk about highly-recruited players, one of the things that makes him so special is he came here multiple times on Saturday Night Live and and was able to go out there and compete. . . . So we're thrilled to have him in our program," Ducks coach Dan Lanning said when Moore officially signed with Oregon.
Ducks fans will have their first chance to see Moore play in Autzen Stadium when he suits up for Oregon's annual spring game, set for Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m. PT.
