Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore Offers Insight Into Matchup vs. USC

CHICAGO — Dante Moore is set to make his return to Los Angeles when USC hosts Oregon at the Coliseum on Sept. 26.

The former five-star quarterback from Detroit played his freshman season at UCLA in 2023, where he saw action in nine games, including five starts, before transferring to Oregon the following season.

USC Trojans Oregon Ducks Big Ten Media Days Chicago Los Angeles Jayden Maiava Fall Camp Dante Moore College Football Playoff — 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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An early season showdown between the two West Coast schools will draw plenty of eyes from the college football world and NFL scouts because of the premier quarterback matchup between Moore and Jayden Maiava.

“It’s gonna be a great game,” Moore said at Big Ten Media Days. “Being able to play them last year, he’s a great quarterback, he’s very competitive. He makes sure he does whatever it takes to help them get wins. It’s gonna be a great game. We’re gonna go out there of course, play in LA, haven’t played there in a few years, so it’s gonna be a good feeling.”

Marquee Quarterback Matchup in September

After bypassing April’s NFL Draft, Moore, who almost certainly would have been the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets, is the favorite heading into the 2026 season to be the No. 1 overall pick come next year's draft.

The redshirt junior added 17 pounds to his 6-3 frame in the offseason. He’s an effortless thrower of the football with elite velocity and touch. He can be surgical when he gets in a rhythm. Moore has a loaded wide receiver room at his disposal, headlined by Evan Stewart, who returns after missing all of last season with an injury, Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 receiver in the 2025 class, Jeremiah McClellan and tight end Jamari Johnson.

Maiava is one of the more experienced quarterbacks in college football with 31 career starts under his belt. Maiava added five pounds this offseason and stands at 6-4 and 230 pounds. His accuracy improved tremendously from 2024 to 2025. He led the Big Ten in passing yards and finished second in the country in QBR.

It’s realistic to expect Maiava to continue ascending in year three under coach Lincoln Riley, who's resume of developing quarterbacks speaks for itself. Sophomore Tanook Hines leads a revamped receiver room that features NC State transfer Terrell Anderson and freshmen Boobie Feaster, Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Five-star freshman tight end Mark Bowman is primed to factor in heavily.

Moore or Maiava could make an early-season Heisman statement in front of a national audience. And for the Trojans' signal-caller specifically, he could start to make a case to move up draft boards and find himself in the conversation to be a first-round pick.

Early Season Test at the Coliseum

Oregon returns a loaded roster that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. The Ducks have controlled the series between the two longtime foes as of late, having won each of the last four matchups.

But as Southern Cal has turned the tide in recruiting against Oregon in the state of California, the next step is flipping the script on the field. The Trojans have their toughest schedule since joining the Big Ten three years ago and if the program is going to reach its first College Football Playoff, there’s no way around it, they have to go through it.

USC bolsters its strongest roster of the Riley era after key roster retention, which includes returning 15 starters, most in college football and landing the No. 1 recruiting class. The Trojans head coach didn’t mince words at Big Ten Media Day when talking about his team heading into his fifth and most pivotal season of his career.

“I do believe we're more equipped than at any point in the previous few years,” Riley said. “That's not a hope or a wish, there’s a lot of facts to back that up.”

In their first matchup against Oregon in the month of September since 2005, the Trojans are presented with an opportunity to backup what Riley said in a ballroom at the Hilton Chicago and send a message to the rest of college football.

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