$3 Million QB Leads Projected National Title Contender After Turning Down NFL Draft

Nearly six months lie between the end of February and the beginning of the 2026 college football season.

A large number of the stars from the 2025 college football season have departed for the 2026 NFL draft, but not all draft-eligible prospects decided 2026 was the right year to declare for the draft. Perhaps the most notable example of a draft-eligible prospect remaining in college is quarterback Dante Moore, who enters his third season with the Ducks in 2026.

The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder was committed to Oregon for several months before flipping that commitment to UCLA in the early signing period. Moore ranked among the top five prospects both at quarterback and nationally in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Moore played in nine games for the Bruins his freshman season. In those nine games, he passed for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while helping steer UCLA to an 8-5 overall mark. Bruins head coach Chip Kelly departed for the Ohio State offensive coordinator vacancy in the 2024 offseason, and Moore entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Oregon landed Moore out of the portal that offseason, but the Ducks started former UCF and Oklahoma starter Dillon Gabriel in 2024, a move that allowed Moore to utilize his redshirt. Moore appeared in four games, completing seven of eight pass attempts for 49 yards and logging one carry for six yards.

Moore became the Ducks' starter in 2025. He passed for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while guiding Oregon to a 13-2 overall record and to the College Football Playoff semifinals. He was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team for his efforts in 2025.

Dante Moore during the 2026 Peach Bowl. — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) calls a play on the line of scrimmage against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first quarter of the 2025 Peach Bowl | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In a shocking move, Moore decided to stay with the Ducks for 2026 in early January. In the months leading up to that decision, Moore was projected as the No. 2 quarterback in most NFL draft projections behind former Indiana starter and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Moore's decision to rejoin the Ducks has catapulted them into the conversation as national championship contenders next season. Max Olson of ESPN compiled a list of the best players on each of ESPN's way-too-early top 25 teams in 2026 on Tuesday, and unsurprisingly, Moore was the best player for Oregon.

"Moore could have been the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NFL draft but wasn't quite ready to make the leap to the pros after 20 collegiate starts over three years," Olson wrote.

"His decision to run it back with defensive linemen A'Mauri Washington, Teitum Tuioti, Bear Alexander and Evan Stewart all staying in school positions the Ducks to be a serious national championship contender again in Year 5 under coach Dan Lanning."

The Ducks' most challenging game of the 2026 season figures to be their trip to Ohio State on Nov. 7. Of the nine teams on Oregon's 2026 Big Ten schedule, only UCLA and Michigan State missed the 2025 postseason.