After nearly leading Oregon to a national championship last year, quarterback Dante Moore looked like a surefire first-round pick in 2026. Moore may have even been a top-five pick last April, but three months before the draft he announced he would return to Oregon for another season.
Moore entered the short list of Heisman Trophy contenders this year and had solid production early. In three-plus games, he completed 69.7 percent of passes, threw for 926 yards, threw nine touchdowns with no interceptions and posted a passer rating of 178.7. However, during a 41–27 victory over USC on September 26, Moore suffered a concussion following a vicious hit from the linebacker in the second quarter. Desman Stephens. Moore, who was taken to Los Angeles General Medical Center in an ambulance, has not played since. A month later, there’s a chance his college career is over.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning announced Monday that Moore was unlikely to return this year, saying: (via Paolo Uggetti of ESPN): “If it was up to Dante, in any form, he would play for the guys. This isn’t a selfish decision on Dante’s part, saying, “I don’t want to come back, the season isn’t shaping up the way I want it to.” That’s not at all what it’s about.
Moore still has not received full medical clearance after suffering a concussion. He managed to return to training recently, but attention will now turn to an ongoing recovery process. Although the redshirt junior still has another year of college eligibility, he could forgo it in hopes of leaving the board at the start of the 2027 draft.
“Obviously he will have a decision at the end of the season. » Lanning said (via Dane Brugler of The Athletic). “I think we can all recognize that Dante is a great player and will have the opportunity to be drafted.”
Moore has yet to make a decision on whether to enter the draft, according to Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports, who says it’s “50-50” at the moment. The concussion prevented the 21-year-old from following up on his 2025 performance, but as Charles Robinson of NFL Blue Book notes, he still has an argument to go in the first round. ESPN’s Jordan Reid, however, projected Moore as a day two prospect earlier this month, and projects Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Darian Mensah (Miami), Trinity Chambliss (Mississippi) and CJ Carr (Notre Dame) as potential first-round QBs next year.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
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