Dante Moore temporarily pondered if forgoing NFL Draft, returning to Oregon was right call: 'There's no looking back now'
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CHICAGO — Dante Moore has effectively committed to Oregon three times: first as a top-flight recruit from Detroit in 2022, then as a transfer from UCLA in 2023 and, this past January, as a marquee NFL prospect forgoing the draft for one final year with the Ducks.
The most recent of those decisions caused seismic ramifications in the football world. Widely projected as the No. 2 quarterback in this year's draft class, Moore could have been one of the first players off the board back in April.
Instead, he opted for a second season as Oregon's QB1, betting on himself to deliver the Ducks heightened success and that he'd level up his game enough to justify leaving what could have very well been $50-some million worth of guaranteed money.
Moore, a 21-year-old who once flipped from Oregon to UCLA in his high school recruiting process, is tied to his latest choice. Second-guessing won't do him any good, but he admitted Wednesday at Big Ten media days that he did some of that in the aftermath of his head-turning announcement on "SportsCenter."
"Yeah, there was days where I for sure looked back when I first made that decision, because I was kind of just thinking to myself, 'Is this the right way?'" Moore told reporters at Hilton Chicago.
"But it's the past now. I'm making sure I'm bringing full pressure and applying pressure to this upcoming year. … I kind of feel like there's no looking back now. Just got to keep applying pressure."
There's plenty of that facing Oregon after back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances that have started with national title promise and ended with blowout defeats. Each time, the Ducks bowed out to the eventual national champion, with Ohio State handing them a 41-21 loss in the Rose Bowl CFP quarterfinal during the 2024 season and Indiana clobbering them 56-22 CFP semifinal last season.
Moore backed up now-Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel for the first of those two lopsided outcomes. He struggled mightily in the second, committing a trio of turnovers in what was billed as a potential battle with Fernando Mendoza for the No. 1 overall pick. Afterward, Moore said he hadn't decided if he was going to enter his name in this year's draft.
Five days later, he pledged his allegiance to Oregon for 2026. Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson said he talked to his signal-caller briefly in the lead-up to Moore making that call.
"It was just like, 'Man, this is your life. It's your decision,'" recalled Johnson, who recorded 32 receptions, 510 receiving yards and 3 touchdown grabs this past season as a redshirt sophomore.
"So it's like, 'If you're ever ready to take that next step, then take it. I believe in you, bro, but if not, let's stay here and let's bring back home a championship for the Oregon Ducks.'"
A decision that had Lanning jumping for joy … literally
Johnson doesn't remember where he was when Moore revealed his return, except he's sure he saw it on social media.
"Once I saw it, oh my God, I started going crazy," Johnson said with a smile. "Oh my goodness."
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was bursting with delight, too. That paroxysm of excitement vaulted him straight through the door to Moore.
"He had no clue, actually," Moore said. "I didn't tell anybody. Actually, my agent, my dad were the only people that knew."
Lanning noted: "Yeah, I was pretty excited. I think maybe jumped up on the table. It was a good day for the Ducks."
Last season, Moore picked up where Gabriel left off in Eugene. After his prudent redshirt season, much like the one Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola is now preparing for at Oregon, Moore piled up 3,565 passing yards, posted a 30:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio and logged a 71.8% completion rate, a significant jump from the 53.5% mark he set as a true freshman at UCLA amid a rocky 2023 campaign.
He piloted Oregon to an 11-1 regular-season record, notably guiding the Ducks to a double-overtime win over then-No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley.
"It's hard to play in the ‘White Out,’ especially as a quarterback," Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas said Tuesday, referring to the Nittany Lions' annual tradition to play a home game in front of a Beaver Stadium brimming with fans wearing white.
Last season, that game was reserved for Oregon's late-September trip to State College. Moore emerged victorious in a clash between, at the time, two top-six teams.
"He's very mature and poised," Rojas said. "And that's why he's a high-end quarterback. … You didn't see him flinch with anything."
The Ducks clocked out 13-2. Their pair of defeats came versus the undefeated Hoosiers. In both outings, Indiana's stifling defense got after Moore. His struggles under duress flared up and were on full display in the CFP. That's an area where he can improve this season. He explained to media Wednesday that he's been working on bettering his pre- and post-snap reads this offseason.
Moore's also added muscle mass to his frame. After bowing out to Indiana in the playoff, he weighed 203 pounds, he said. Now he's 220.
Plus, he's stepped up his role as a team leader.
"I think it starts with self-awareness, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, knowing that it's OK to be vulnerable in front of your team," Lanning said, when asked about Moore's ability to lead. "Guys seeing you and the work that you put in, the effort that you put in to improve.
"Not a guy that's resting on his laurels. I think all those things help him become a better leader."
What other Big Ten QBs thought about Moore coming back
Moore was asked point-blank Wednesday if the New York Jets possessing the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft affected his decision. He said no.
Moore ascribed preparation as the biggest factor in him coming back to Oregon for one last hurrah. He's aiming to sharpen his tools. Creating memories along the way, for himself and a team he loves, was part of the equation as well.
"I won't say anything about anybody else's decisions," USC quarterback Jayden Maiava said Tuesday, when asked about Moore's return, "but I know, just for me, I think being able to live in the moment, take it in — if the opportunity presents itself, then I think you just have those conversations with either the people you love or whoever you got to have those talks with. I think it's kind of based on the individual to me."
Penn State's Rocco Becht, who followed head coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State this offseason for one final go-around in college, shared a similar sentiment this week: "Obviously NIL is super big now in college football, but it's case-by-case. And I'm sure he wanted to come back, play for his boys for one last ride, try to win a national championship. That's exactly what I'm trying to do."
As Moore said, he's applying pressure. He's seemingly welcoming it as he empties the tank at Oregon.
"There ain't nothing else after this, so might as well," he said.
That is, in the collegiate ranks — the NFL is on the horizon, lurking over the idyllic mountainous views of Autzen Stadium. How Moore performs in 2026 will be constantly evaluated, and so will his decision to press pause on his pro career.
But, in Moore's words, "there's no looking back now."
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