He stayed.
In a world where every college kid with a decent arm and a highlight reel jumps for the NFL paycheck as fast as humanly possible, Dante Moore did the unthinkable. He looked at the 2025 season, looked at his draft stock—which was honestly sky-high—and decided that Eugene was where he needed to be.
If you followed the Ducks at all during the 2024 season, you saw the blueprint. Moore sat. He watched Dillon Gabriel slice up defenses. He learned the rhythm of Will Stein’s offense from the sidelines while taking a redshirt year. It was a patient, professional approach that felt almost "old school" in the modern era of the transfer portal.
When the oregon starting qb 2025 job finally opened up, the expectations were massive. We're talking "Heisman-or-bust" levels of pressure. And for the most part? He delivered.
The Numbers Behind the 2025 Campaign
People forget how much noise there was about Moore’s freshman year at UCLA. It was messy. He threw picks, he looked rushed, and the environment around him was basically a house on fire. But the version of Dante Moore we saw leading the Ducks in 2025 was a totally different animal.
The stats tell a pretty clear story of growth. Moore finished the 2025 season with some eye-popping efficiency:
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- Completion Percentage: 71.8% (296-of-412)
- Passing Yards: 3,565
- Touchdowns: 30
- Interceptions: 10
- Passer Rating: 163.7
He wasn't just a stat-padder, either. He led Oregon to a 13-2 record, a massive Orange Bowl victory, and a deep run into the College Football Playoff semifinals. Sure, the Peach Bowl loss to Indiana stung—it was a 56–22 blowout that nobody saw coming—but you can’t pin that entire disaster on the quarterback.
The real shocker came just a few days ago. On January 14, 2026, Moore hopped on SportsCenter and told the world he was coming back for another year. Most experts had him pegged as a first-round lock. But Moore talked about "being prepared." He mentioned wanting to hit that 25-start threshold that NFL scouts love.
Honestly, it’s a genius move for his bank account, too. With NIL valuations for top-tier quarterbacks hitting the $5 million mark, he’s likely making more in Eugene than he would as a mid-to-late first-round pick in the NFL.
Competition and the Dylan Raiola Factor
Don't think Dan Lanning is just letting Moore coast, though. That’s not how things work in Eugene anymore. Even with Moore entrenched as the guy, the Ducks went out and grabbed Dylan Raiola from the transfer portal.
Yeah, that Dylan Raiola.
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The former Nebraska starter and five-star mega-recruit is coming off a season-ending leg injury, but the plan is crystal clear. Raiola is essentially doing exactly what Moore did in 2024: sitting, learning, and waiting for the 2026 season. It’s a "pro-style" development cycle that Lanning is using to basically eliminate the "rebuilding year" from Oregon’s vocabulary.
What Happened to the Rest of the Room?
When you bring in a guy like Raiola, the depth chart starts to leak. It’s inevitable.
Austin Novosad saw the writing on the wall and headed for the portal, eventually landing at Bowling Green. Luke Moga, who showed some real flashes in early-season garbage time against Northwestern, also decided to move on recently. It’s tough to see local kids leave, but that’s the price of being a national powerhouse.
Then you have Akili Smith Jr. The legacy recruit. The son of a legend. He’s 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, and looks exactly like what you’d build in a lab for a modern quarterback. While Moore and Raiola take the headlines, Smith Jr. is the developmental project everyone is keeping an eye on. He’s got the "live arm" and the pedigree, but the consensus is that he needs a year or two of seasoning before he's ready to handle the Big Ten's defensive schemes.
Why the 2025 Season Changed the Narrative
For a long time, the knock on Oregon was that they could only win with "rent-a-QBs."
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Bo Nix was a transfer. Dillon Gabriel was a transfer. While Moore is technically a transfer from UCLA, he spent a full developmental year in the system before taking over. That matters. It showed that Lanning could recruit a high-level talent, keep him happy on the bench for a year, and then turn him into a superstar.
The 2025 season proved that Oregon's offense isn't just about the "blur" or a specific system; it’s about high-level decision-making. Moore’s ability to distribute the ball to guys like Jamari Johnson (who had a breakout 500-yard season at tight end) made the Ducks nearly impossible to defend until they ran into that Indiana buzzsaw.
What’s Next for Oregon Fans?
If you’re looking ahead to 2026, the situation is actually better than it was this time last year. You have a returning starter in Dante Moore who already has a 30-TD season under his belt. You have the most talented backup in the country in Dylan Raiola.
The biggest hurdle? Replacing the weapons.
Losing Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL hurts. He was Moore's safety blanket all year. However, the news that Evan Stewart is returning for 2026 is massive. Stewart missed almost all of 2025 with a torn patella, so we haven't even seen what the Moore-to-Stewart connection looks like yet.
Next Steps for the Ducks:
- Nail the Spring Portal: With several depth pieces leaving, Lanning needs to find a veteran backup who is okay with being the "break glass in case of emergency" guy.
- Raiola's Recovery: Getting Dylan Raiola 100% healthy is the priority so he can push Moore in practice.
- Refining the Deep Ball: Moore was elite in the short-to-intermediate game in 2025, but his deep-ball accuracy (especially in the Peach Bowl) was hit-or-miss.
The 2025 season was a massive success, even without a ring. By keeping Dante Moore in the fold, Oregon has officially signaled that they aren't just satisfied with being "good." They're building a dynasty that survives individual draft cycles.