Josh Pate Gets Candid About Dante Moore in Big Ten Quarterback Rankings

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore is set to return in 2026 after having the option to declare for the upcoming NFL Draft and potentially go top-two.

College football analyst Josh Pate recently ranked Big Ten quarterbacks. Pate said his confidence in Moore is “medium to high.” He ranked Moore alongside Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin as quarterbacks he expects to make leaps in 2026.

What Josh Pate Said About Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dante Moore

oregon ducks dante moore quarterback big ten dan lanning dante moore offensive line wide receivers drew mehringer coordinator — Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) looks on before the game against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Pate discussed his confidence in Big Ten quarterbacks’ abilities to take another step during his College Football Show.

"I want to be just sky high on Dante Moore," Pate said. "I would go medium to high. The thing that holds me back, relatively speaking, is he was not great in their bigger games last year."

Even though Moore had a career season in 2026, he threw a total of three interceptions and totaled negative 65 rushing yards between the program’s two losses vs. the Indiana Hoosiers. Pate said that there’s a chance, however, that Moore becomes “good to great in those games” with his decision to come back.

Pate also mentioned the offensive line turnover that the Ducks are experiencing in the offseason. The program is set to return center Iapani Laloulu and guard Dave Iuli, but lost three starters. Pate pointed to Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s lack of urgency to pick up linemen in the portal as an indicator that the team is confident with the group they’ve developed.

“I think Dante Moore will be okay and not running for his life, and if he’s not, they’ve got a plethora of skill on the outside,” Pate said. “It’s Oregon, so they’ll be loaded everywhere. The big game moments, that’s what I need to see. If he’s clicking there, then there is no medium.”

Comparing Dante Moore’s Ranking to Other Big Ten Quarterbacks

Pate placed Sayin in the same confidence tier as Moore. Sayin finished the season as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but the Buckeyes experienced back-to-back losses to Indiana and the Miami Hurricanes. Sayin threw two touchdowns, but three interceptions between those games and rushed for negative yardage. Like Moore, Sayin is expected to learn from those big game losses.

Indiana’s transfer quarterback, Josh Hoover, also landed in Pate’s medium to high confidence tier. Pate believes that Hoosiers’ coach Curt Cignetti will bring the best out of Hoover, who he thinks needs to be more consistent.

Other key quarterbacks who Pate mentioned were Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood, USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava, Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Pate listed Maiava in the same confidence level as Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana’s quarterbacks, with the others in the medium tier, and Colandrea in the wildcard low to high tier.

Why Quarterback Dante Moore is Poised for a Big Season

Moore finished 2025 with career highs across the board. He threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns on 71.8 percent completion and rushed for another 156 yards and two touchdowns.

Outside of the two tough performances against Indiana, Moore did step up in a big game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road, with three touchdowns in a double-overtime win. He threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another in the Ducks’ College Football Playoff opener against James Madison University.

There are still plenty of opportunities for Moore to grow against opponents like a top-ranked Indiana team. After the first loss to the Hoosiers, he spoke about getting in his head and letting the moment get too big. Moore now has a full season of experience as a starter in the Oregon offense under his belt and knows what it’s like to play on the big stage in the CFP semifinals.

Moore will have a first-year offensive coordinator, Drew Mehringer, and former quarterbacks assistant Koa Ka’ai takes over as the quarterbacks’ coach. While those are key changes that directly impact Moore, both coaches have been on the staff since Moore’s arrival, and he has familiarity with them. The same goes for many of the new starting offensive line candidates, whom Moore has practiced alongside.

The offensive weapons around Moore only got stronger in the offseason. As long as he shows the “natural progression” that Pate mentioned, Moore should make some major improvements from his 2025 season.

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