Everything Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore Said After Spring Practice

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Ducks quarterback decided to return for another year of college football in 2026. With his redshirt junior season looming, Moore prepares to play under a new set of offensive coaches and in a different quarterback room.

Moore spoke about the competition with transfer quarterback Dylan Raiola and coaching changes in his recent media appearance.

What Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore Said

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What He’s Trying to Teach Transfer Quarterback Dylan Raiola:

“Dylan’s special. He was somebody that, of course, is a great human. He has great energy. We like the same music. In the early mornings, he's always blasting stuff, and we kind of relate to each other in that way.”

“But overall, when it comes to talent, I mean, he can make any throw. He's a leader already. He’s using his voice. But of course, it’s just little things. I remember when I first got here, if it's certain plays, for the check a certain play, if it's certain there's coverage, just making sure that he has all the tools that I've been learning.”

“And of course, at the end of the day, he's pushing me in the weight room, I'm pushing him in the weight room. He's pushing me on the field, and I'm pushing him on the field. At the end of the day, he’s a great guy. He's really good at golf. He's really good at golf. He can hit the ball really far and straight. So, I try and get better with that. But overall, he's a great guy, and I love him to death.”

His Relationship with Quarterbacks Coach Koa Ka’ai:

“Somebody that works his tail off in early mornings and late nights. He's someone that we can relate to each other in many ways. He is somebody that just always asks me if I'm good, if I'm comfortable. If there’s anything I need to worry about, I can talk to him about them.”

“And I kind of feel like I can open up and talk to him about anything I need, even in football, or even outside of football. So, he's someone that brings joy into my life and hope I can bring joy into his life every day. I stress him out a little bit, but at the end of the day, it's all love. So just have a great time, have a great connection. And he is someone that I appreciate, and I'm very excited for him this year.”

Excitement to Play Under Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:

“First day when he got the job, we went to the board room and he said, ‘What do you like and what don't you like?’ As a quarterback, that you love. We went through all of our plays, we changed some things up. He's just very smart.”

“He just knows everything. As a player's coach, he always understands that if I don't feel comfortable with something, that will change, and we’ll go from there. But he's going to keep pushing me. He made sure that all the other positions are taken care of. He did tight ends last year. He's also working on running backs, receivers, just going room to room.”

“He's always in our room, of course, just hearing what we're going through. Man, I love him. He's a great guy. He's really great at golf as well. Overall, he's just someone that just loves his team, loves his job, and I'm glad that he has a job, and I'm excited for this year.”

Competition This Spring Between the Quarterbacks:

“Us quarterbacks, we're always competing when it comes to just doing Wordle. We're competing, doing the word of the day, and competing when it comes to golf, or competing when it comes to football. It's just, we're always having fun with the whole process of things.”

“We're never ever even in years past, I've been here and nobody has had beef or anything in that room. Coach Koa, coach Jay (Johnson)and (Drew) Mehringer is doing a great job making sure that everybody's getting reps, everybody's pushing ourselves, and we're doing a great job just getting connected as a brotherhood. So, we're enjoying each other, and with the scrimmage coming up, we're very excited. Got a lot of film to keep watching and keep stacking days.”

Getting Closer to Where Quarterbacks Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel Were at Oregon Mentally:

“I've grown a lot. Coach Lanning is somebody that pushes me every day when it comes to just using my mental in the football game. And he's just somebody that's going to push me and scream at me, and I love it.”

“I’ve learned from watching Dillon, and I've watched a lot of film on Bo, and I've gotten better at just pre-snap things, just being able to see how fast they got to going from one, skipping again to three to making sure the ball gets there.”

“Just being able to watch film, be able to learn from Dillon and being able to just use all the information I'm using to help us with spring ball right now. Even our walk throughs is just making sure that can be the best leader I can be. I'm doing a pretty great job about that every day. I won't say I'm there yet, but gotta keep making sure I just get better every day. I just got to keep pushing myself and being the best leader I can be.”

Learning to Manage Pressure and Expectations:

“Coach Lanning puts pressure on us at practice, the way we just get certain situations, certain periods thrown at us, to where we can be down. We have to do a two -minute drive or just fourth and one.”

“It’s just the way he just helps us prep and kind of feels like it comes from practice. Being able to get better day by day with the way he pushes us. When you go through the situation at practice, and you handle it a great way, or here in a bad way, you're still getting those reps. So come game time, you’ll be prepared.”

Feeling the Confidence to Make Play Changes at the Line of Scrimmage:

“It just comes from the repetition. Just especially, coach Mehringer this year, he's doing a great job of giving me a lot of information to where if we have a play called and it’s a certain coverage, or a certain thing that I just find a way to get to – coach Lanning always says having the pin last – just being able to just go out there and before the shot clock ends, just get the right play, get the right play call.”

“And kind of feel like I've been doing better, just this past year. I've seen tons of defenses. And when I see a certain defense, it's like, ‘Hey, I guess a little reminder. Hey, if this doesn't work, just check it to this place.’ So, I’ve gotten better at it. I just got to give credit to my coaches. They've been coaching me very well in there, and I'm excited what I’ll be able to keep learning.”

Taking the Next Step in His Connection with Center Offensive Lineman Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu:

“Poncho, I kind of say that we have the best quarterback and center hairstyle. We have great hair. Not many quarterbacks and centers have hair like that. It's something that we just talk about.”

“He's a great guy. He's a guy that at practice, he'll see a certain look, and I see something different. Then we’re going back and forth. And I’ll be like, ‘Poncho, you're right but you go ahead and do that.’ He's just somebody that's always seeking information.”

“He's always seeing what I gotta say. And of course, I'm hearing what he always says. And he's just somebody that takes his job seriously. He's doing a great job with being able to keep the other four guys next to him in check. He's just someone that we keep pushing each other. And I'm glad that I'm gonna have another year with him.”

His Relationship with Wide Receiver Evan Stewart:

“He's someone that I love to death. When it comes to us being in LA together, if it's being a Dallas, if it's us being in Miami, we're always traveling around the world. And he’s just someone I love to death.”

“And he's always calling me. We’re always on FaceTime, and he's like, ‘Hey, watch this clip. Like, what did you see now? What can I get better at?’ He's always listening. He's always helping me push myself when I'm not feeling my best at practice, keeping my head high.”

“And he's just someone I love to death. He's a vet. He's a guy that is gonna have a great year this year. I'm excited for him. Has a lot of adversity to face, but at the end of the day, he just keeps smiling through it all. That’s, I think, the biggest thing with him. He just keeps smiling, even if it’s good days or bad days.”

Quarterbacks Coach Koa Ka’ai’s Unique Perspective:

“He's a genius. He's somebody that can dissect a defense really well, have multiple answers. The conversations you have with him is the best thing. Outside of football, he's been through a lot in life working at different programs, or even just playing, working in different positions.”

“He’s somebody that is just great. Has a lot of great information. If I ask him any questions, and he always has an answer to it, but if not, he's always gonna find a way to get the answer for me. He's just someone that pushes me. I'm gonna keep pushing him. But overall, he's a great guy.”

What He’s Seen from Quarterback Akili “KJ” Smith Jr.:

“KJ is a great kid. He's somebody that, of course, has a great father that has played the position at a very high level. And he works his tail off. He's very young, so he's making mistakes that happen at practice.”

“And one thing I love about him, and I kind of told him this morning, is he knows when he messes up, and he's going to take the blame. If someone else messes up as a quarterback, you always have to take the blame. He's doing a great job just watching the film, making sure that when he does make that mistake, that he doesn't do it again.”

“His arm talent is insane. Today I see him throw up a 65-yard post down the field. I'm just like, I'd never seen that before, but that was a great throw. He can make plays like that, but mentally, he's getting better from when he first came in. He's been doing a great job taking leaps, and he's getting better day by day.”

Expectations for Wide Receiver Jeremiah McClellan:

"He's someone still that texts my phone and calls me to get extra work in every spring break. He's always calling me like, 'Hey, what we doing?' And it's like, 'You're right, you're coming with me to come train.' So this past spring break, we were in LA together, but we were training. And he's someone that makes insane catches."

"Of course, it translates to the game, but overall, I mean, like, even today, like, he had two multiple catches, I was just like, 'Wow. Like, how do you even do that?' But it's kind of just he's been putting the work in, and when he puts the work in, it shows."

"I don't know if you guys seen the famous video, but he's in the airport waiting for his flight. He's catching balls, like not many people do that. So when the ball's in the air, he's gonna get it, for sure, but I'm excited for him this year, he's a vet. He's been through a lot of experience, and he's a great communicator, being a leader and a great dude."

His Conversation with Legendary Quarterback Tom Brady:

“It was a very, very interesting conversation. It was my first time ever meeting in person. I was like a kid at the candy store. That's like the GOAT. He’s my role model I want to be. He’s a guy that’s a competitor and wins football games and is the greatest to do it.”

“I met him. We talked much about leadership. I got a chance to talk with Drew Brees as well, and Sean Payton and them out there. We talked a lot of football. But Brady is a great guy. He was just someone that still has that competitive nature in his eyes.”

“I got to see him playing the flag football game. He's still playing like how he was. I'm just like, this is impressive. He's at 46. I don't know how old he is. He's just someone that's great. But he just made sure that if I had any questions – and I asked a lot of questions, because that was my chance to – so I just asked him tons of questions. He gave me a lot of information. And that was a night I’m gonna remember for the rest of my life.”

Why He Sees Getting Vulnerable About Mental Health as a Strength:

"At the end of the day, we're still humans. We’re just players, of course, who play for a university, play for a team. But at the end of the day, we still lay our heads on the pillow just like everybody else does.”

“There are a lot of times in football we have anxiety of performing on the field, taking care of our families, just trying to keep up with of schoolwork, football, just all these things going on, and it can be stressful. I've been through it all, and I feel like just using my voice and just all the athletes using our voices as our platforms, telling the world, and telling the young guys, and men or women in this world that mental health is important.”

“Because when you're performing at your greatest, your mental health is great, and then when you perform at your worst, your mental health is terrible. We're humans at the end of the day. And I just want to use my platform, just to talk back for just young kids and anybody who needs to hear it.”

Excitement for Added Wide Receiver Options:

“That’s why you come to University of Oregon. You have multiple options. And every player from the top of the list to the bottom list is great players. Kind of feel like this offense, got some young guys that came in, but they're already on it.”

“And defense, the same way. It's just many players that came in and trying to prove a point the way they're at practice, pushing themselves. And I'm excited for this year. We're very talented, and can't look too far ahead and go day by day and keep stacking days.”

If Golf Helps Him Get Away from Football:

“Golf, I'd say the greatest game of all time. It brings me peace. When you're playing in Oregon, these golf courses is very green, it’s very peaceful. The birds are chirping, and it's just something that I need.”

“Of course, I'm not the best at it, but I can hit 1000 terrible balls. But when I had that one good shot, it's just like my day satisfied. I kind of feel like it's just a great way for me, just to keep peace and positivity into my life, but also just a way for us to connect as a team.”

“A lot of us golf. Coach Lanning even golfs. He has a lot of hole in ones, and I'm still a little jealous about that. But his overall, just golf is just something that just helps me is get better as a person. And then the golf courses here are amazing.”

“And of course, we have one of the greatest golfers, Kiara (Romero). She's somebody that I'm trying to get there and compete with every day. But she's just somebody that I just watch her game to see how she gets better, and just how I can just make sure I can follow the steps.”

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