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Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dante Moore's Talent Addressed In Rankings

Oregon Ducks quarterback is largely unproven but his talent is undeniable. In a preseason ranking of the top college football teams, Moore's ability and talent was addressed. Can Moore lead the Ducks back into the College Football Playoff and Big Ten Championship game?
Ally Osborne|
Dante Moore Addresses the Media After Spring Practice with the Oregon Ducks
Dante Moore Addresses the Media After Spring Practice with the Oregon Ducks | Olivia Cleary

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Oregon Ducks

The biggest question for the 2025 Oregon Ducks squad is also one of the most hyped aspects of the team in the offseason: redshirt sophomore quarterback Dante Moore.

During the down months before the season, the mystique around Moore continues to build, with the Duck receiving a nod for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award preseason watch list on Monday.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore throws out a pass during practice with the Oregon Ducks Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 at the Hatfie
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore throws out a pass during practice with the Oregon Ducks Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

OREGON QUARTERBACK DANTE MOORE'S TALENT ADDRESSED

College football analyst for Fox Sports and former athlete, Joel Klatt shouted out Moore while naming the Ducks as No. 5 best college football team on his top-25 preseason team list.

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"It's a team that - and a program that has built themselves in recruiting and has one of the most talented rosters in the sport," Klatt said. "It's an elite level roster. They've hit the portal, they've recruited high school, now they've got a quarterback that, yes, is not that experienced, but I think he's very talented."

Klatt also emphasized the amount of time Moore spent studying under Cleveland Brown quarterback Dillon Gabriel during his first year at Oregon, as well as his time spent his freshman year with the UCLA Bruins as a highly sought after rookie.

"He's a former five-star, he played right away at UCLA a couple of years ago. That didn't go great - that UCLA team was not good enough. Now he's gotten to sit there and learn under Dillon Gabriel, under Will Stein, the offensive coordinator. That's going to be huge," Klatt said.

Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) throws a pass during the second half against the
Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

However, singing Moore's praises did not propel the Ducks higher on Klatt's list from No. 5 due to the analyst feeling shaky about the weapons Moore can use on the field.

"The one thing that I don't love and why I put them at the backside of this tier of teams is because they lost Evan Stewart. He went down with a knee injury in the summer. So that means that their true freshman, the five-star player Dakorien Moore, he's going to have to make a huge impact early on," Klatt said.

Nicknamed "D-Moore Squared" by Duck fans online, the two athletes' chemistry seems to have deepened during the off season with the two posting about several outings online. Dakorien Moore even used the hashtag "#dantemooretraining" when the two spent a night at Top Golf last week.

The Ducks also appear to be prepping tight end Kenyon Sadiq to also be a major weapon on Oregon's offense, which became especially clear as Sadiq represented Oregon at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. According to Pro Football Focus, Sadiq is the top graded tight end returning to the Big Ten in 2025 with a 80.4 overall rating.

Speaking of the Big Ten, Klatt posits that Oregon has quite the competition if they want to defend their conference championship in 2025. Below is a look at the rest of the top ten teams in Klatt's rundown.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt's Top 10 Teams in the 2025 Preseason:

  1. Penn State
  2. Texas
  3. Ohio State
  4. Clemson
  5. Oregon
  6. Notre Dame
  7. Georgia
  8. LSU
  9. Alabama
  10. Michigan
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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A born and raised Oregonian, Ally Osborne has a passion for sporting events across her home state. She began writing for Oregon Ducks on SI in 2021. Currently a morning talk show host and sports reporter for KOIN 6 and Portland's CW in Portland, Oregon, Ally is engrained in her community. Finding and sharing stories that highlight the unique culture and connectivity sports creates is a part of her DNA. She frequently contributes sports content to KOIN's broadcast and streaming platforms while hosting talk show "Everyday Northwest" and video podcast "Tower Talk Live" every weekday. With Portland being her third-worked television market (second in Oregon), Osborne brings hard-news and feature-reporting experience to compliment her expertise for sports storytelling. Her journalistic endeavors and art creations (many of which are inspired by the Oregon Ducks) can be found on her social media pages. Ally graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace. 

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