Big Ten Quarterback Rankings: Oregon Ducks' Dante Moore Too High, Too Low?

One of the biggest make or break moments for the Oregon Ducks' offense in 2025 is the starting quarterback. Though Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff have not named a starter at the position, many fans and analysts alike assume sophomore quarterback Dante Moore will get the nod.

CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate also believes Moore will start, and much more (name pun intended). In his latest preseason ranking of Big Ten quarterbacks, Pate placed Moore at No. 3 on the list. Penn State's Drew Allar took the No. 1 slot with Ohio State's Julian Sayin coming in at No. 2.

Pate's ranking of Moore is likely based on a combination of potential and word from practices, as Moore has only played four games with the Ducks in the 2024 season utilizing a redshirt. Over those four game appearances, Moore went 8-7 in passing and also put up one rushing carry for six yards.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore throws out a pass during warm ups as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Though he was a mentee to former Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel in 2024, Moore did spend his freshman year at UCLA before transferring to Oregon. During his tenure with the Bruins, Moore helped get UCLA to a 5-4 record when he lined up under center, with a season total 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Here is Pate's list of Big Ten Preseason QB Rankings:
1. Drew Allar, Penn State
2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
3. Dante Moore, Oregon
4. Demond Williams, Washington
5. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
6. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
7. Jayden Maiava, USC
8. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
9. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
10. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA

What's interesting about Pate's list, is that Sayin (0), Moore (0), and Williams (2) all have little to no starts from previous season. Just like Moore, Sayin appeared in four games during the 2024 campaign, going 5-12 in passing with one touchdown and two rushing carries for 24 yards.

Ohio State Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin (10) warms up before the start of the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There's plenty of supporters for Moore, who's been given the herculean task of following up transfer quarterbacks like Gabriel and Bo Nix.

“I think he will win the Heisman this year,” said Duck freshman receiver Dakorien Moore when asked about Dante Moore on "The Pivot Podcast" with Ryan Clark. Moore also stated that his quarterback would win the iconic trophy "because of who he is."

"Dante Moore, a transfer from UCLA, he's at Oregon now, he's the quarterback," football analyst David Pollack said on his podcast See Ball Get Ball. "If you're watching Will Stein and you're watching Dan Lanning, and you're watching Oregon, they're not getting worse, okay. Their trajectory is continuing to climb and be great."

“Dante has all the ability in the world, has the arm talent,” Lanning told Oregon Ducks reporter Bri Amaranthus in April. “I’ve been really pleased with his intelligence to get us checked into a positive play. A lot of times playing football, it's advantage offense, advantage defense based on the call. He's done a great job of getting us in an advantage call. Whenever he sees a certain look, being able to adjust and adapt to that.”

Can Moore prove his supporters right in 2025?