What’s Next for Oregon? Early Look at Ducks’ Roster, Outlook for 2026 Season

Oregon’s season came to a close with a rough 56–22 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.

Dan Lanning will look to restock his roster and keep Oregon in the national title picture in 2026. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Another impressive season for Dan Lanning’s Oregon program came to a screeching halt at the hands of one of the Ducks’ Big Ten foes. Last year it was an Ohio State program, which Oregon beat during the regular season, that blasted the Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl en route to a national championship. Indiana got the best of Oregon at Autzen Stadium during the regular season, and then manhandled the Ducks in Friday night’s CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl, 56–22.

Under Lanning, the Ducks are once again in the national championship conversation, winning the Big Ten in 2024 and earning the No. 1 seed in the CFP that year, before clinching the No. 5 seed in 2025. And yet, Oregon was not particularly competitive in either elimination game, a growing concern for what is otherwise one of the nation’s most consistent programs.

On the heels of their elimination from the playoff, what lies ahead of Lanning and the Ducks? Like an program of Oregon’s caliber, they will enter 2026 with a reshuffled roster, a pair of new coordinators and potentially a new trigger man under center.

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What the Peach Bowl loss means for Oregon

Indiana dominated Oregon in the Peach Bowl 56–22 to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff national championship. / Kevin D. Liles/ Sports Illustrated

Dan Lanning’s job is about as secure as any coach in the country, but Friday continued a growing trend of blowout losses for his Ducks in big spots.

Lanning is now an impressive 48–8 in four seasons, winning at least 10 games in each of his years as head coach, and at least 12 games in each of the last three seasons. He’s 15–8 in games against Top 25 opponents. It is hard to take issue with any part of his record, but those eight losses are glaring.

In 2022, making his head coaching debut against the program he had just departed, Georgia, Oregon was blasted 49–3 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium—the same stadium that hosted Friday night’s beatdown. That November, he dropped games to archrivals Washington and Oregon State.

The 2023 team represented a significant step forward, with quarterback Bo Nix playing his way into the first round of the NFL draft and the Heisman conversation. Lanning’s squad lost just two games—both to Washington, in the regular season and at the Pac-12 championship, by three points in both games. The conference title lost cost the Ducks a chance at the four-team CFP.

Oregon ran the table in 2024, beating strong Boise State, Ohio State and Illinois teams and knocking out Penn State in the Big Ten championship, winning the league in its first season after leaving the Pac-12. In the rematch with the Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl, however, the Ducks were overwhelmed, losing 41–21.

And finally in 2025, the Hoosiers became the bogeyman for Oregon, winning at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 11, 30–20, and then handing the Ducks their worst loss since Lanning’s debut vs. Georgia on Friday night.

Lanning has won big games, but after two consecutive seasons ending with blowout losses to conference foes in the CFP, he may start to feel some pressure in 2026, especially if he fields another national championship-caliber squad.

Quarterback Dante Moore’s NFL draft decision looms for Oregon

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore will have a few quick weeks to make his NFL draft decision. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The biggest uncertainty for the Ducks entering the offseason is whether Moore will be back for a second season as starter. Normally, someone projected to go in the early first round would be a cinch to declare, though a rough outing for Moore against Indiana could hurt his draft stock a bit. His potential NIL earnings change the calculus as well.

With the going rate for elite college quarterbacks at around $5 million, someone like Moore could make more than most first-round picks. Of course, with rookie salaries capped, he would be delaying a potentially lucrative second NFL contract, but he may also weigh the teams that are likely to take him.

More: Grading Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore Performances in Peach Bowl

In his latest mock draft, Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick slotted in Moore as the No. 2 pick to the Jets, a franchise that has been a hostile destination for promising first-round quarterbacks since 2000 draftee Chad Pennington put together some solid seasons for Gang Green. Most players in Moore’s position still opt to make the leap, but it would not be ridiculous for him to come back for one more run in Eugene.

Entering the Peach Bowl, Moore had 3,280 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing an impressive 72.9% of his passes.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft is Wednesday, Jan. 14.

Oregon’s quarterback options behind Moore

Two of the three other quarterbacks to throw passes for Oregon are currently expected back next season: backup quarterback Brock Thomas and third-stringer Luke Moga.

Thomas, a sophomore, completed 12-of-16 passes for 130 yards and one touchdowns this season. Moga is 3-for-5 for 58 yards.

Austin Novosad, a sophomore out of Texas who completed 1-of-2 passes for 40 yards this season, entered the transfer portal in late December and is expected to move on.

Lanning’s staff also has one quarterback signed in the 2026 high school class: four-star Murrieta, Calif., native Bryson Beaver.

A former top recruit could be Oregon’s Moore replacement, should he declare

Ahead of Friday’s game, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that one very notable Big Ten quarterback could be a transfer portal addition for the Ducks: former Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola.

What’s next for Oregon at quarterback. A look at Dante Moore’s decision and one quarterback high-profile portal quarterback to watch for the Ducks. pic.twitter.com/sonVddyeRt

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 10, 2026

“Sources have told me that Dante Moore has not yet indicated to Oregon what he’s going to do next season,” Thamel said during College GameDay. “... Moore has only started 20 games. The line of demarcation that the NFL tends to use is 25 starts. So what would Oregon do? Sources have told me to look for Dylan Raiola’s name to emerge as a Duck. Raiola hasn’t done anything since he entered the portal, Oregon hasn’t hosted any quarterbacks since the portal opened.”

Thamel floated the possibility of Raiola, a former blue-chip QB that was committed to Georgia before flipping to play at his father’s alma mater, ending up at Oregon even if Moore remained on campus, in a similar manner to Moore transferring to the Ducks from UCLA to sit for a year behind Dillon Gabriel.

Raiola’s 2025 season was ended early after he suffered a broken leg in a loss to USC on Nov. 1. Raiola finished with 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games; he had 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 picks as a true freshman in 2024.

Moore isn’t the only Oregon star that could jump to the NFL

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is another Ducks star who could hear his name called on the first night of the 2026 NFL draft. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Lanning’s staff may have more important holes to fill from a talented 2025 roster.

One of Moore’s favorite targets, tight end Kenyon Sadiq, is a likely departure after posting 531 yards and eight touchdowns entering Friday’s game. The 6' 3", 245-pound physical specimen is the type of versatile mismatch at the position that NFL offensive coordinators love. Flick currently mocks him at No. 12.

On defense, the front seven could see a number of key departures, including edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei (a first-round pick in Flick’s mid-December mock draft), defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington and linebacker Teitum Tuioti. Safety Dillon Thieneman could be an early departure in the defensive backfield.

A number of key contributors are out of eligibility, including running back Noah Whittington, wide receivers Malik Benson and Gary Bryant Jr., offensive linemen Isaiah World, Alex Harkey and Emmanuel Pregnon, linebacker Bryce Boettcher and kicker Atticus Sappington.

Oregon’s 2026 high school recruiting class

High school recruiting gets a bit underdiscussed in the age of the transfer portal, but it is still the bedrock of most programs, and the Ducks do it extremely well. The 2026 class is no different.

Per 247 Sports’ composite rankings, Oregon has the No. 3 class in the country, with a trio of five-star commits and 16 total blue-chip players out of 21 signees.

Player	Position	Rating (247)	Hometown
Tradarian Ball	RB	4*	Texarkana, Texas
Azel Banag	CB	3*	Columbia, S.C.
Bryson Beaver	QB	4*	Murrieta, Calif.
Davon Benjamin	CB	4*	Westlake Village, Calif.
Tony Cumberland	DL	4*	Eugene, Ore.
Messiah Hampton	WR	4*	Rochester, N.Y.
Kendre Harrison	TE	4*	Reidsville, N.C.
Braylon Hodge	LB	4*	Englewood, Colo.
Dutch Horisk	Edge	3*	Bellflower, Calif.
Immanuel Iheanacho	OL	5*	North Bethesda, Md.
Devin Jackson	S	4*	Orlando
Anthony Jones	Edge	5*	Mobile
Koloi Keli	OL	3*	Honolulu
Hudson Lewis	WR	3*	Boise, Idaho
Xavier Lherisse	S	4*	Melbourne, Fla.
Jalen Lott	WR	4*	Frisco, Texas
Tristan Phillips	LB	4*	Ventura, Calif.
Prince Tavizon	DL	4*	San Diego
Tommy Tofi	OL	4*	San Francisco
Jett Washington	S	5*	Las Vegas
Trevon Watson	CB	3*	San Mateo, Calif.

Lanning loses both Ducks coordinators ahead of the 2026 season

Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein takes over the program at Kentucky in 2026. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Ole Miss’s coaching staff situation dominated headlines up until the Rebels’ loss on Thursday, Lanning’s staff featured coaches juggling their own career changes, including both Ducks coordinators.

Offensive coordinator Will Stein is the new coach at Kentucky, and brings with him Oregon director of recruiting strategy Pat Biondo and assistant offensive line coach/run game coordinator Cutter Leftwich.

Defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi takes over the program at Cal and brings three Oregon staffers with him: defensive analysts Connor Boyd and Darrion Daniels and offensive analyst Steven Haunga.

Lanning promoted internally to fill both coordinator roles, with co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Drew Mehringer taking over the offense and co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Chris Hampton leading the defense moving forward. Time will tell whether he makes more staff changes after a rough outing against Indiana.

Oregon football’s 2026 schedule

The Ducks’ three nonconference games have been set, as have the home and away matchups for the Big Ten schedule, though dates for the nine-game conference slate have not yet been finalized.

Here’s what Oregon’s schedule looks like as of now:

Date	Opponent
Sept. 5	vs. Boise State
Sept. 12	at Oklahoma State
Sept. 19	vs. Portland State
TBA	vs. Michigan
TBA	vs. Nebraska
TBA	vs. Northwestern
TBA	vs. UCLA
TBA	vs. Washington
TBA	at Illinois
TBA	at Michigan State
TBA	at Ohio State
TBA	at USC

Oregon draws some of the toughest Big Ten programs, including a home game against Michigan, which will be led by former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, as well as road trips to Ohio State and USC. The Ducks will not face Indiana again during the 2026 regular season.

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