For the last few years, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has displayed a patience not commonly seen in college football these days.
First, Moore sat an entire year behind Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel in 2024, watching and learning as the Ducks put together an undefeated regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
One year later, if Moore can just take things one step further than Gabriel and lead his team past Texas Tech in the CFP quarterfinals he could very well see all of that patience pay off.
If Moore shines against Texas Tech he could very well leapfrog Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
“Even with Fernando Mendoza currently established as the favorite to hear his name called first at the onset of the 2026 NFL draft, the quarterback’s status is not a foregone conclusion,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on December 27. “Maybe that scenario still plays itself out, but an opportunity exists for Oregon’s Dante Moore to make a huge impression in the short term.”
Moore Started College Career at Pac-12 Rival
While Moore hasn’t given any indication if he will make the leap to the NFL — most signs point to the opposite — the best decision he made to this point was transferring to Oregon from UCLA following the 2023 season.
Moore, 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, went 3-2 in 5 starts playing for head coach Chip Kelly as a true freshman but entered the transfer portal before the end of the regular season.
It ended up being a smart move. Kelly left UCLA a few months later to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. The Bruins went 5-7 in head coach DeShaun Foster’s first season in 2024 and he was fired after an 0-3 start in 2025.
Ducks, Moore Perfect Fit in 2025
Moore has spent the 2025 season showing NFL scouts why he’s a surefire first round pick — whether that’s in 2026 or in 2027.
Through 13 games, Moore is 12-1 as the starter and has thrown for 3,046 yards, 28 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, including going 19-of-27 passing for 313 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a 51-34 win over James Madison in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
What he doesn’t have is a win over Mendoza, with the Ducks’ only loss coming to Indiana, 30-20, on October 11 in Eugene. In the loss, Moore went 21-of-34 passing for 186 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
If the Ducks and Moore were to get a rematch with the Hoosiers and Mendoza, it would be in the CPF Semifinals. Indiana faces Alabama in the quarterfinals on January 1, right after Oregon takes on Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Most mock drafts have Mendoza, who also started his career in the Pac-12 at Cal, going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. The first round of the NFL draft takes place on April 23 in Pittsburgh.
“Oregon winning its first national championship in school history, or at least making a deep CFP run, increases Moore’s chances of departing for the NFL and potentially being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft,” Sports Illustrated’s Caden Handwork wrote.
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