Dante Moore finds himself in a crowded quarterback room at UCLA with no promises of a starting job when the season opens on Sept. 2.

Of course, the 5-star freshman from Detroit is viewed as a favorite to win the job, but UCLA has yet to give any indication that things are settled a week into fall camp. Moore will need to beat out Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, redshirt junior Ethan Garbers, and redshirt freshman Justyn Martin.

“Great quarterback room,” Moore said.

Both Moore and Schlee were on campus for spring ball earlier this year. That time for the freshman was incredibly valuable.

“I’m glad I came here early,” he said. “From high school to college is way different — speed, areas, concepts. So, I’m glad I went through spring ball.”

Coaches told him the same.

The 6-foot-2 Moore has all the tools to be a high-level quarterback at the top of the sport. Will head coach Chip Kelly start him right away, though? That’s one of the biggest (football) questions throughout the Pac-12 ahead of the new season.

Schlee is the more experienced option. He threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns last season while rushing for 492 yards and five scores. Still, the 2022 season was a breakout one for Schlee, who had attempted 36 passes over his first two seasons at Kent State.

But Moore said the group of quarterbacks is, on the whole, approaching the competition the right way.

“If you have selfish players on a team, that’s not gonna be a great team at all. That’s not gonna be a winning team,” he said.

“When it comes to receivers, you can have five on the field, you can have four on the field, there’s multiples. And, of course, at the quarterback position, you can only have one on the field. I just know for us, we’re all trying to compete with ourselves, get the best of us, and I know when it comes to competing we’re just trying to do our best.”

Asked if he’s thought about the possibility that he could open the year in a backup role, Moore said he’s staying in the moment.

“I just know I wake up every morning, better myself every day,” he said. “If I miss a throw, I know that, OK, I’m going to watch on film to see how I missed it. I just know that when it comes to getting the starting job, that’s nothing I’m really worried about right now.”