James Franklin Evaluates Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dante Moore Ahead Of Penn State White Out

While the White Out game between the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 6 Oregon Ducks will be a matchup between two of the nation’s top teams as well as Big Ten standing, it will also feature two of the nation’s top quarterbacks.

Ahead of the meeting, Penn State coach James Franklin had nothing but good things to say about Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, whom the program previously recruited.

Franklin Gives Thoughts On Moore’s Maturity

oregon ducks dante moore penn state nittany lions james franklin dan lanning recruiting big ten nil transfer portal — Sep 6, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks around the field prior to the game against the Florida International Panthers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Nittany Lions coach spoke highly of Moore during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He raved about the quarterback’s college football journey and his decision to transfer to Oregon a year ago, despite that meaning he would sit behind quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

“I love Dante. We recruited him out of Detroit, out of high school. Five-star, No. 1 quarterback in the country and I’ve been super impressed by his path,” Franklin said. “In today’s college football he goes to UCLA, he starts three or four games as a true freshman, chooses to go to Oregon and sit behind a guy for a year.”

“Very few guys are making that type of choice at that level of quarterback and now obviously he’s playing at a high level,” Franklin continued.

oregon ducks dante moore penn state nittany lions james franklin dan lanning recruiting big ten nil transfer portal bo nix — Oregon quarterback Dante Moore throws down field against Oklahoma State during the second quarter at Autzen. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the Ducks played the Beavers in their week 4 rivalry game, Moore spoke about his visit to Penn State during its 2021 White Out game against Auburn. Former Oregon and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix suited up for the Tigers in that game.

“The stadium is really loud, of course. But I understand how composed (Nix) was,” Moore said. “I hope to have the chance to talk to him and hear his thoughts. It's gonna be a great week, it's gonna be a great game, it's gonna be a great environment, hostile environment. I'm gonna reach out to Bo, for sure, to see what things he has to tell me.”

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Nittany Lions Prepare For Ducks’ Offensive Depth

Franklin added that the Ducks surrounded Moore with plenty of offensive weapons that the Nittany Lions have spent the past couple of weeks preparing for.

“Year 3, he’s got tremendous talent around him. No. 1 (Dakorien Moore), the wide receiver, is a problem. The tight end (Kenyon Sadiq), No. 18, is a problem. They’ve had our attention all week long,” Franklin said.

“But it’s not just them,” he continued. “They got two really good running backs as well. They got a massive offensive line in front of them. So, they’ve put a ton of good stuff on tape, a lot of challenges. He’s been able to retain his coordinators and his staff, so this is going to be a real challenge for us.”

Oregon coach Dan Lanning praised Penn State in its own right ahead of the matchup. He pointed out defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton as “one of the better defensive edge players in the league and in the nation.”

Lanning also said that the Nittany Lions will be “disruptive as anybody” they’ll play and that their defense has the ability to adapt to challenges. Despite Oregon’s depth, the offensive line will need to continue to play cleanly, and other players may need to step up offensively to score on the Penn State defense.