Dakorien Moore still has to text the group chat.

His speed has already earned him a starting spot as a freshman at one of the best football programs in the nation. It’s already earned him the five stars that helped get him there. Before any of that, it earned him a spot on one of the best high school relays in Texas.

Moore, a recruit from Duncanville High School, split time before college between football and athletics. His flash showed up in the Panthers’ relay group, which set a national record by a full second. in the 4×200-meter at the 2024 Texas state championships. The now-19-year-old freshman anchored that relay. He was the one with lengths between him and second place on the finish line.

On Friday in Eugene, he re-entered his old world. On Friday, the lengths were measured in the pit, not the track. On Friday, the hurdles he pulled out over the course of his freshman year were put to a different use: the long jump at the Oregon Team Invitational.

“It was amazing, actually,” Moore said afterward. “I’ve been talking about it all week with my teammates, just being back out here and starting to train again. Just being on track in general made me feel good, but being in the pit, it was amazing. It lights me up, honestly.”

The group chat, filled with that record-setting 4x200m group, is now spreading its wings across the country. Brayden Williams, now running at the University of Georgia, held the baton first in that group. He handed off to Caden Durham, who just turned in a three-touchdown season at Louisiana State University as a running back. Durham handed to now-Texas Christian University receiver Ayson Theus. Theus handed to Moore.

Then they dispersed across the country. Moore hasn’t touched the track in competition since — he said Thursday that he’d originally planned to compete at the start of his freshman year, splitting time with football, but delayed those plans once he’d started working with the football program. He didn’t mention to the group chat, by the way, that he planned to enter the long jump at the Oregon Team Invitational according to Clayton Brookins, his coach from that relay.

“I was like, ‘I’m gonna get him,’ because we’ve been chatting back and forth and he didn’t mention that,” Brookins said.

Oregon’s track and field program hosted its first home meet of the season on Friday after sweeping the Big Ten Indoor Championships for the second-straight year and placing second in both men’s and women’s at the NCAA Championships. Among the start lists, nestled in the invitational long jump, was Moore.

That conversation, he said, started last week. He’s been looking for a meet to open up at, and Friday fit the bill. This was one where his teammates could be there, at Hayward Field, too. He split time between the sports, somewhere around 70-30, in order to be ready.

“We’ve modified a little bit of his load, worked really close with the track staff on what do we want this to look like for him to be able to compete at a high level and still get the work that he has to get in from a football standpoint for us,” Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning said on Saturday. So this last practice on Thursday was a little bit modified for him, a little less player load, but full go today to be able to take advantage of everything he has.”

The day before, he was asked about the entry at his scheduled football media availability, and confirmed that he planned to compete. That night, Oregon posted a teaser video to its social media. The next afternoon, he was on the runway, “cheesing,” with his teammates in the stands.

Brookins remembers seeing Moore in middle school, dunking — in jeans. He’s always had the athleticism to jump. From there, long jump was the natural step.

“He doesn’t have to retrain his brain,” Brookins said. “That’s just short acceleration. It’s more like him running a dig route, and he’s always been a good jumper.”

Plus, the long jump is where Moore feels secure. In 2024, he jumped 7.20m at those same state championships. He called the event his “isolation place” before the meet. On Friday, he looked right at home.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous,” he said. “I was more so just anxious to get back on the runway. Like I said, it’s been a minute, so just getting on the runway and feeling the sand again — it was like I had jitters.”

He found his places — sitting with his legs out between the runways, then up and down the home stretch. After one jump, he looked back at the pit and his 6.94m (22-09.25) mark. After two and an improved 6.99m (22-11.25) jump, in 10th place, he was bouncing and grinning at stands full of teammates. 

“YEAH, ‘KORI!” came the cry from the stands. 

It’s just like it was in their football meetings earlier today, when the whole offense was, “waving, clapping, doing everything they could to hype me up,” Moore said. “We spent probably two, three minutes just praising me about jumping today.”

On his third, needing improvement to qualify for finals, he finally wound up the clap. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, center Iapani Laloulu and their teammates were more than happy to oblige — after, of course, he got them back on track with a reset. They haven’t spent much time at the track, Dakorien admitted, but he’s planning to.

“AY, YOOOOO!” was the refrain, this time, after he turned in a 7.48m (24-06.50), sixth-place effort. 

His quarterback was all the way down to the trackside railing to see him. They posed together. He spent time with Dante Moore earlier today, and planned to hold off on triggering the clap until his third attempt. Their connection has grown since they arrived in Eugene, and Dakorien knew he wanted Dante Moore at the track.

Moore jumped just one of his attempts in the final flight, back at 6.94m, before passing his final two. He had his phone back by the time he got to the interview zone at Hayward Field after the event. He hadn’t texted the group chat yet, but he already knew he wanted to be back in the pit.

“Yes, for sure,” he said in response to that question. “For sure, for sure.”

Lanning loved it too.

“I showed it at our team meeting today (Saturday),” Lanning said. “Just that connection — it’s something we talk about.”

He’s not close to where he was coming out of high school, Moore said. That’ll take more training. But 24 feet, 6.5 inches isn’t bad for his first outing in years. 

Competition continues tomorrow, with the national anthem scheduled for 3:35 p.m.