Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced Wednesday afternoon that he will forego the NFL Draft and stay in school for another year. His announcement comes five days after the Ducks lost big in the Peach Bowl to Indiana in a College Football Playoff semifinal and gives Oregon head coach Dan Lanning his biggest news of the offseason.
Moore made his announcement on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
“It was very tough,” he said. “Since I was a 4-year-old, I’ve dreamed of playing in the NFL, and of course, the NFL is something that the professionals play at, and I feel like I could have been excited … wherever I got drafted, being blessed to be where I am. But I kind of feel l like coming back is the best thing for me, to make sure that when that day does happen, that I’m fully prepared, I’m able to go and play my best ball.”
Moore, a redshirt sophomore, was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Even after a disappointing Peach Bowl performance, in which he threw a pick six on the first play and had two costly fumbles in a 56-22 blowout loss, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler still pegged him as a potential top-three overall pick. He finished the season 296-of-412 passing for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
With his decision to return, the Ducks should be Playoff contenders again as they continue to chase that elusive national championship.
Moore, who transferred to the Ducks in 2024 after one year with UCLA, was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. He spent last season backing up Dillon Gabriel before taking over in 2025. Oregon recently signed Nebraska transfer and former five-star recruit Dylan Raiola, who will now likely back Moore up in 2026.
NFL Draft impact
And, just like that, the 2026 NFL Draft class — from a QB perspective — looks a lot like the 2025 class. With Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza starring as Cam Ward, and … no one starring as a clear QB2.
Moore didn’t have a great day against Indiana in the Playoff, but had he declared, he’d have been no lower than QB2 and likely a top-10 selection in this spring’s draft. He very well may have been QB1 on some draft boards, as he’s younger than Mendoza and potentially has a higher athletic ceiling. With Moore back at Oregon, though, the number of QB prospects who can reasonably be considered as a top-10 selection has been split in half.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson looked great through Halloween before stumbling down the stretch in his only season as a college starter last fall. Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss could wind up as a huge riser, not unlike former Rebel Jaxson Dart — possibly even up to QB2. Could someone take a chance on either late in the first? Sure. From there, we start talking about players like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, North Dakota State’s Cole Payton, Miami’s Carson Beck and perhaps, even, Penn State’s Drew Allar. Those are intriguing quarterbacks — but none of them are close to being a first-round or even a firm day two lock.
The Raiders should still be in good shape to draft Mendoza if they’d like. The Jets still have a slew of early picks in 2027 and need a ton, so waiting for a QB might not be the worst idea there. The Cardinals and Browns had better crank up the scouting work, because there are no clear first-rounders beyond QB1 this year. — Baumgardner
