College Football HQ

30 Touchdown QB's Decision to Return to College Football Earns Resounding Approval

One top QB's return to college was a topic of positive agreement on a recent podcast.
Joe Cox|
Oregon QB Dante Moore drew approbation for his choice to return to college.
Oregon QB Dante Moore drew approbation for his choice to return to college. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Despite an incredibly weak NFL QB Draft class, several top college passers made the decision to return to school in 2026 rather than go pro. Some players had an underwhelming season and could use another season to right their record. But others had a more difficult decision.

While Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers need to write a new script, one player who would do well to stick to the same level of play from 2025 is Oregon QB Dante Moore. Moore was frequently projected as the likely No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he still made the surprising decision to return to school.

Dante Moore's Return

Patience has marked Moore's football path. He picked UCLA out of high school and ended up splitting time as a true freshman, throwing for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns. But he then transferred to Oregon, where he sat in 2024 behind Dillon Gabriel, throwing just eight passes.

But in 2025, Moore was a consistent star with the Ducks. He passed for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns and led Oregon through a successful season. While Moore was outplayed by Fernando Mendoza in the CFP semifinals, his NFL future was secure... until he made the patient decision to wait.

Support for Moore's Choice

Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman both discussed Moore's path in the "Andy & Ari On3" podcast with guest J.D. Pickell. Pickell placed Moore atop his list of Top 10 QBs for 2026. He noted Moore's patient path in moving to Oregon and analogized to Moore's NFL decision.

"My gut is him making this decision to come back another year to Oregon-- he's kind of saying a similar thing," stated Pickell. "If he's getting better from what he was last year to this year, I'm good on that. I'm signed, sealed, delivered on Dante Moore."

Andy Wasserman called Moore's decision "smart" and noted, "There was probably a time... when you would have looked at this situation... [and said] I have to go. But now, you can make a significant amount of money in college, probably something similar to what you'd make year one in the NFL."

On3sports's NIL valuation for Moore of $3 million places him in the elite strata of college football, placing him behind only Arch Manning, transfers Sam Leavitt at LSU and Brendan Sorsby at Texas Tech, and second-year standout Brice Underwood at Michigan, who is just ahead of Moore.

The elephant in the room is the New York Jets, who hold the second pick in the NFL Draft and a melancholy history of QB Draft failure. Moore's decision might have been made easier by the chance to avoid the Titanic of pro football QB rooms. In any case, Moore is back, he's very, very good, and college football experts think he made a good call.

Lanning
Dan Lanning's Oregon program got a major boost with the return of Dante Moore. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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