Dante Moore opened the season with massive expectations after leading Oregon to the College Football Playoff semifinals last year. And he looked good through the first four games, completing 69.7% of his passes for 926 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions, with Oregon going 3-1 in those games. But Moore's season has stalled after a recent injury.
He suffered a concussion during Oregon's 41-27 win over USC on Sept. 26 after taking a late hit from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II. He missed the following game against UCLA, a 17-15 loss at home, and is now set to miss Saturday's contest against Nebraska. Brock Thomas will start in Moore's place over Dylan Raiola, who took over for Moore after the injury and in the loss to UCLA.
Thomas replaced Raiola in the game against the Bruins after he threw two interceptions. But while everybody's attention is on Saturday night in Eugene, Yahoo Sports draft analyst Eric Edholm shone a light on Moore and his draft stock, which has been slipping recently. Even before his concussion, Edholm says Moore's skill set was in question, and there were concerns over whether he's truly shown enough yet to be a true franchise quarterback at the NFL level.
"He could probably help himself by coming back and playing well," Edholm said. "But I keep going back to that original point. I don't know that three or four more big games is really just going to vault his draft stock.
There's an appreciation for all of his skills, but I don't know that there's a hell-bent excitement about him as a prospect." More news: Georgia Set to Welcome Back Offensive Star Against Auburn More news: Pittsburgh Makes Major QB Change Ahead of Boston College Showdown Moore started his college career at UCLA in 2023, throwing for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman. He then transferred to Oregon in 2024 and backed up Dillon Gabriel before becoming the Ducks' starter last season. The decision paid off immediately, with Moore leading Oregon to 13 wins while completing 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Coming into this season, he was widely viewed as one of the top prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft, alongside Miami's Darian Mensah, Texas' Arch Manning, and Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss. But with Oregon off to a disappointing 3-2 start and Moore missing time, he's quickly dropping in the rankings while those other names continue to build strong cases of their own. For Moore, the pressure is on him not just to return but to lead Oregon through a strong finish in the second half of the season.
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