Oregon Ducks' Dante Moore Shares Biggest Lesson He Learned From Dillon Gabriel

Dante Moore is emerging as another big-time performer in a series of great quarterbacks for the No. 9 Oregon Ducks. The signal caller’s mature decision to spend a year sitting behind former Ducks starter Dillon Gabriel appears to have played a role in the impressive stats he’s posting this season.

Ahead of the Ducks’ trip to Iowa, the Big Ten Network highlighted what Moore took away from his year backing up Gabriel, who’s now a starter for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL.

Continuing Oregon’s Tradition of Great Quarterbacks

oregon ducks dante moore quarterback dillon gabriel dan lanning will stein transfer portal recruiting ucla bruins nfl heisman — Sep 20, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Moore transferred to Oregon knowing that he’d like backup Gabriel in 2024. Both Gabriel and the starting quarterback before him, Bo Nix, finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in their final seasons, while Marcus Mariota won it in 2014. The standard at the position was set before Moore even started his first game for the Ducks.

“There's been so many great players to be here before him,” offensive coordinator Will Stein said. “Dante, whenever you ask him, comparing his game to somebody else, he always respects people before him, but he’s gonna be true to him.”

Moore has thrown for 1,884 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first eight games of the 2025 season. Before Moore was leading the Ducks to potentially another College Football Playoff appearance, Gabriel helped the program to a Big Ten Conference Championship and an undefeated regular season record.

“The biggest things I learned from Dillon is just preparation and then having joy with the game of football,” Moore said. “He said when you step between the white lines and play football you got to have joy and have fun with it.”

The transfer quarterback hasn’t wasted a chance to credit Gabriel for his mentorship throughout the season. Following a win against Northwestern earlier in the year, Moore talked about how he learned to enjoy the process from Gabriel.

“He would come to the facility early in the morning and late at night, that you gotta enjoy the process and be thankful for it,” Moore said. “I feel like seeing him smile every day when the days got tough, it brought me the juice and energy to keep going and make sure I'm pushing my teammates the best they can do.”

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Moore’s Journey to Oregon

Moore’s path from Detroit to Eugene featured some twists and turns. He flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA as a five-star recruit after former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham took the head coaching position at Arizona State.

After a rocky freshman season at UCLA, Moore transferred to Oregon.

“We had already had Dillon Gabriel pretty much solidified to be our next quarterback here at Oregon, but we did not flinch at all when Dante wanted to join,” Stein said.

Moore struggled at times during his true freshman season. He recorded 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine appearances, with the Bruins going 5-4 in those games.

The quarterback mentioned his 18-year-old self being “mentally depressed” after a three-interception performance versus Oregon State due to the way his freshman season went. Two years later, Moore was all smiles after throwing four touchdowns in a 41-7 victory over the Beavers in an Oregon jersey.

The Ducks are in need of four wins to end their regular season strong and keep their playoff hopes alive. If Moore continues playing the way he has – and with a smile on his face – Oregon’s postseason hopes should look bright.