What Dante Moore's NFL decision means for Oregon football's QB room
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Oregon football starting quarterback Dante Moore is returning for another season after a strong 2025 campaign that saw the Ducks reach the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Moore, a redshirt sophomore, decided to forgo the possibility of being a top pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft to continue to develop under coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks in 2026.
So what does that mean for Oregon and its hopes at making another run toward a CFP berth and the program’s first national championship?
Oregon football quarterback outlook with Dante Moore
With Moore back in the fold, the Ducks have a proven quarterback with 15 starts under his belt at Oregon, along with nine games played at UCLA as a freshman in 2023.
With two years of eligibility remaining, the former five-star prospect out of high school should be in line to retake the starting reins of Oregon’s offense and continue to improve his decision-making and poise with more starts under his belt in 2026, and said as much in an interview with ESPN when he announced his decision to return.
“This year I had many great throws, many great plays, but at the end of the day, I feel like I can still learn so much more,” Moore said. “As a kid, since 4-years-old I’ve dreamed about being in the NFL, but this team, we’ve been through a lot and a lot of people are returning, so I feel like we have exciting things coming this year.”
Behind him, Oregon recruited former five-star signal caller Dylan Raiola out of the transfer portal, who is reportedly willing to sit behind Moore and pursue a redshirt and expected to compete for the starting job in 2027. Raiola started 22 games for Nebraska over two seasons beginning in 2024, completing 69% of his passes for 3,819 yards, 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
“He’s a great dude,” Moore said of Raiola. “Of course, we haven’t talked much, but just seeing him and how he just competes, I know when he comes here, he’s going to be a great guy for the quarterback room. I’m going to make sure that I give him my idea and my thoughts that Dillon Gabriel would do for me and make sure that I just give him the resources to make sure he’s better on his game.”
Behind those two, the depth in the room has taken a significant hit. Former Sheldon star Brock Thomas, who completed 12 of 16 pass attempts with a touchdown in relief of Moore, will return along with four-star freshman Akili Smith Jr., who redshirted in 2025.
Fellow walk-ons Mark Wiepert and Ryder Hayes are also expected back with the team, and the Ducks signed four-star quarterback Bryson Beaver in their 2026 early signing class.
Dante Moore stats with Oregon football
Moore has 5,224 career passing yards over 29 games with 41 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, though his stats significantly spiked after transferring from UCLA in 2024 and sitting a year behind Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel.
In 2025, Moore completed 72% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns while tossing 10 interceptions. His pass efficiency rating ranked top 10 in the country.
Oregon football quarterbacks
Oregon’s expected quarterback room, as of Jan. 14
- Dante Moore, redshirt junior
- Dylan Raiola, junior
- Brock Thomas, redshirt junior
- Ryder Hayes, redshirt sophomore
- Akili Smith Jr., redshirt freshman
- Mark Wiepert, redshirt freshman
- Bryson Beaver, freshman
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Dante Moore to return to Oregon in 2026. What that means for the Ducks
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