Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Details Quarterback Dante Moore's 'Swagger' And 'Arm Talent'

The Oregon Ducks quarterback position has been in excellent hands since coach Dan Lanning took over in 2021. For the first time in program history, Oregon produced back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalists in former Oregon quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix.

Back-to-back-to-back Heisman trophy finalists would be incredible... and could be possible.

Redshirt sophomore Dante Moore looks to take over as starting quarterback of the Ducks in 2025. After cutting body fat, improving his speed and developing his decision making, Moore has all the tools to shine in the Big Ten this season. Moore has earned the confidence from his teammates and coaches, who believe in the transfer from UCLA.

“Dante has all the ability in the world, has the arm talent,” Lanning told Oregon Ducks reporter Bri Amaranthus. “I’ve been really pleased with his intelligence to get us checked into a positive play. A lot of times playing football, it's advantage offense, advantage defense based on the call. He's done a great job of getting us in an advantage call. Whenever he sees a certain look, being able to adjust and adapt to that.”

“The other piece I think is his poise. He's calm, collected. He plays with a swagger out there, which I think you want to have in a quarterback. He's done a really, really good job of that… He has a mentality right now about how he wants to go attack things,” Lanning continued.

Lanning has not named a starting quarterback as the quarterback competition rolls on. Moore is joined by sophomore Austin Novosad, redshirt freshman Luke Moga, redshirt freshman Ryder Hayes, sophomore Brock Thomas and true freshman Akili Smith Jr. in the talented quarterback room.

There are noticeable changes in Moore from when he transferred to Oregon from UCLA in December of 2023 to now. He says he is comfortable "leading by his voice" in practices now as he commands the Oregon offense. In media interview sessions this spring, Moore is loose and confident. On the field, he's focused on protecting the ball and pushing his teammates to be better.

Moore wears the No. 5 jersey for Oregon, but sometimes his presence is compared a former quarterback who wore No. 8: Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

“I never got to coach Marcus, but getting to know Marcus and who he is, I could see some similarities there," Lanning told Amaranthus. "What I think is important for every player is you have to be you…. You can't go in there and try to be somebody else.”

Oregon's annual spring game on April 26 in Autzen Stadium will be Ducks fans first chance to watch Moore in 2025. Moore saw limited playing time in 2024 behind Gabriel. The former 5-star recruit out of Martin Luther King High School (Detroit, MI) appeared in five games in first season at Oregon, completing 7-of-8 passes (87.5 percent) for 49 yards.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback benefitted from more than a year in Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein's offensive system, while picking up tips from Gabriel.

"I've learned a lot from Dillon Gabriel," Moore said during spring football. "I miss him a lot. I love him a lot, praying for his success... We pushed each other in the weight room, in the facility every day. I feel like I didn't have the mindset of being a backup. I just wanted to push myself every day, better myself every day, and Dillon did a good job of pushing me. But as of right now, I know what I need to do to better myself when it comes to extra work, just mentally, physically, also spiritually. So been doing really well, and I'm glad to be where I'm at.” 

Lanning reloaded the roster in his fourth season as head coach. Moore has some exciting new offensive weapons in transfer wide receiver Malik Benson and incoming freshman receiver Dakorien Moore. The Ducks also landed the No. 1 transfer portal player in offensive lineman Isaiah World, plus highly-coveted running back Makhi Hughes to help round out the offense.

The hype for Moore is real. Moore currently has the fifth-best odds of winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy at +1300 on FanDuel.

Former Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson said Moore has the "keys to the Lamborghini" as the Ducks look to repeat as Big Ten champions and contend in the College Football Playoff.

"What jumps off the table is his arm talent. He has one of the best arms I've ever seen," Ferguson told Amaranthus. "I think the maturity to come and sit a year behind Dillon Gabriel and learn - really make that as a business decision. I think that just shows how mature he is and how much he's grown as a player... Learning football and getting better each day in practice, not just sitting there, but also getting better during practice."

With swagger and poise, Moore's future looks bright in Eugene.