With quarterback Dillon Gabriel on to the NFL, the Oregon Ducks are moving on to quarterback Dante Moore. Both Gabriel and Moore transferred to Oregon in 2024 and with a year of learning from the sidelines, Moore is set to take over the Ducks' offense.
Moore transferred to Oregon from the UCLA Bruins following the 2023 season. With the Bruins he earned playing time, completing 114 passes for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns. Moore also threw nine interceptions and had a 53.5 completion percentage. In 2024, Moore played even less, logging eight passing attempts as he sat behind Gabriel who helped lead the Ducks to an undefeated regular season.
After a year of sitting and learning the Ducks’ offense, Moore appears ready to take over. Moore spoke to On3’s Pete Nakos about taking the 2024 season as a chance to learn, and how he is ready to lead the Ducks in 2025.
“When I hit the portal, yeah, I kind of knew exactly where I was going,” Moore said. “More of it was just understanding I was really close to the coaching staff out here. Coach [Will] Stein, I didn’t know, it’s kind of hard to build a relationship in high school, when coach [Kenny] Dillingham left, but overall had a great, productive year with Bo [Nix] and then Gabriel for the past two years. He’s a great coach.”
“All the players over here accepted me. I know a lot of them, especially my class, were recruited to come to Oregon, but I knew it was the right spot to be, and an opportunity to come out here and play.”
Before committing to UCLA in 2022, Moore was originally committed to Oregon. He flipped in December, spending his 2023 freshman season with the Bruins. Now he is back to his original commitment with the Ducks. Moore believes transferring at the same time as Gabriel was one of the smarter decisions he has made.
“This year has been a learning year for me,” Moore said. “Transferring in with Dillon was probably one of the best things I ever did. Coming to Oregon and competing with Dillon and standing behind him. I learned a lot from him. He’s been in college for quite some time, and I'm glad that the Browns picked him up.”
Gabriel spent time with three teams throughout his collegiate career. He spent three years with UCF followed by two years with Oklahoma. His final season was with Oregon and he helped lead the Ducks to being the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Gabriel went on the be selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
The two were still competing with each other, but in a way that it helped both quarterbacks grow. Moore expanded on the competition on and off the field.
“Overall, he taught me a lot. The way we compete with each other in the weight room, in the classroom, and out there on the field. It’s been a great year, and I got close with the team,” Moore told On3. “I’ve been learning here and picked up a lot of things in Eugene. It was a year that I needed for sure.”
The Oregon Ducks will have high expectations despite having a new quarterback take over. To go undefeated in the regular season comes with similar hopes that the Ducks will be a top team in the nation. While Oregon has not seen much of Moore yet, he was able to take the 2024 season to learn from his mistakes and grow as a player. He is set to lead the team to another successful season.
“Learned a lot from my mistakes, which is going to happen when quarterbacks start to play at a really young age. It was a year when it was difficult in the moment mentally. Just trying to fight through the battles of playing for the university, a lot of fans, and a lot of things going on. Every mistake was a learning point,” Moore said.
