Dillon Gabriel An 'Extraordinary Role Model' For Oregon Ducks Quarterback

The Oregon Ducks are in the midst of one of the nation's most watched quarterback battles this offseason. Oregon quarterbacks Dante Moore, Austin Novosad, and Luke Moga have been duking it out for the starting job and with the season almsot here, it's starting to become crunch time for the Ducks' coaching staff to name a starter.

Moga has been thought of as the odd man out in the quarterback battle as Moore and Novosad have been receiving a majority of the first-team reps during fall camp, but that hasn't stopped Moga from going all-out in order to win the starting job.

Oregon Ducks dan lanning schedule Dante moore Luke Moga Will Stein Austin Novosad Recruiting NIL Akili Smith Jr. quarterback — Oregon inside linebackers coach Will Stein leads practice as the Oregon Ducks hit the practice field ahead of Michigan State Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Moga spoke during a media availability session earlier this week about the biggest topic surrounding the Ducks' offseason, their open quarterback competition following former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel's departure to the NFL.

"It's kind of obviously a huge topic right now, but i'm just kind of trying to worry about myself. Obviously there's still a lot of growth I can have, I've had a tremoundous amount already. I'm not really too worried about that. If I just take care of everything that I can take care of, everything will take care of itself," Moga said.

Moga said that he feels like since his arrival at Oregon in 2024, he has taken some big strides in his development as a quarterback. The Arizona native credited Gabriel as someone he has looked up to during his time in Eugene.

"To learn from Dillon [Gabriel] last year, he was an extraordinary role model for me, on and off the field. And with the guys we have now, we kind of bounce things off each other," Moga said.

Oregon Ducks dan lanning schedule Dante moore Luke Moga Will Stein Austin Novosad dillon gabriel cleveland browns nfl — Aug 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel warms up before action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A four-star recruit, Moga was ranked as the No. 9 quarterback in the country in the 2024 recruiting cycle according to ESPN rankings. He did not appear in a game last season.

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Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein said in a media availability session that regardless of who comes out on top in the quarterback battle, the Ducks will have a reliable starter under center.

"Dante is now in year two. Austin's in year three, Brock's in year three, Luke's in year two. That gives me a lot of peace of mind at night, knowing that I know they know the signals, they know the calls, they know the protections, they know our run checks, they know how we play offense, and I'm really, really excited to see them, you know, take off this year and help us win games," Stein said.

With the Ducks' season opener vs. Montana State less than two weeks away, a starting quarterback is bound to be named soon. And with three starting-caliber players in the quarterback room, It will be interesting to see how the Ducks' quarterback unit shakes up next offseason with four-star quarterback Bryson Beaver set to sign with the program in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

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