Oregon Football’s Dante Moore Receives Surprising Big Ten QB Ranking originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Rolling into the 2025 college football season, the Oregon Ducks are set to have a new starting quarterback.
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Dillon Gabriel, who led the program to a remarkable 2024 campaign — a 12-0 regular season and Big Ten title victory — is now representing the Ducks at the NFL level with the Cleveland Browns.
Dante Moore, a redshirt sophomore, is taking over under center. The former five-star talent spent one season with the UCLA Bruins, where he started in five games, before transferring to Oregon before the 2024 season.
After sitting behind Gabriel for one year, Moore is set to take over as the lead signal-caller. According to The Sporting News, the Oregon quarterback ranks No. 7 at his position across the Big Ten.
“Moore can be an efficient playmaker within the offense if he limits interceptions – which were a problem in his freshman year at UCLA,” The Sporting News wrote. “Oregon does have continuity on the offensive side with third-year offensive coordinator Will Stein. Moore is in the best-case environment to succeed.”
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What makes the ranking surprising is that Michigan’s Bryce Underwood and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin are both ranked ahead of Moore, despite both having less experience than the Oregon quarterback.
Bill Bender of The Sporting News raises a healthy concern, as Moore’s 54% completion percentage, as well as interception rate, were an issue during his redshirt freshman season at UCLA.
However, Oregon has done an incredible job maximizing quarterback talent in recent years.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) surveys the defense during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium.© Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
If the Ducks’ coaching staff can properly develop Moore — as they’ve now had a year with him under the program’s coaching — the former five-star recruit could take a big leap as a starter in the Big Ten.
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Still, as an unproven talent, it makes sense for Bender to rank Moore mid-table among Big Ten quarterbacks.
Moore can very well flip those rankings upside down if he can excel early for Oregon, as he will be well equipped with strong talent and elite weapons.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein has sent quarterbacks to the NFL and Dan Lanning has built a modern blue blood program in Eugene.
Moore, given his potential, is in a position to make a case among the best signal-callers in college football if he can continue to improve.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
