Dakorien Moore flashes in practice, has emphatic opinion about Oregon quarterback competition

On "The Pivot" podcast they asked Dakorien Moore about the Oregon quarterback position and the five-star freshman didn't blink.

Asked about Dante Moore, the Duncanville, Texas star told hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, "I think he's going to win the Heisman next year."

"Because of you?" they asked.

"Because of who he is," Moore said.

At practice, Moore is already standing out with his ability to get open and come down with the football, displaying the route skills and practice habits that made the 10.4 sprinter a 3,400-yard, 40-touchdown offensive threat for two-time state champion Panthers.

He high points the ball. He pulls it away from defenders. He's explosive after the catch, using his leaping ability and speed to create separation.

One of the benefits of Dan Lanning's elite recruiting over the last three years is that the Ducks can create two-spot matchups in practice. Defensive backs like Kingston Lopa and Na'eem Offord can challenge themselves every day against receiver talent like Moore, Evan Stewart and Malik Benson.

They have to cover speed in space. If that's not enough, they'll take reps against those big-body, tough-to-cover tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Jamari Johnson, 6-3, 245 and 6-5, 265. The ability to simulate game conditions and match speed against speed and talent versus talent creates an atmosphere of intense competition day in and day out.

That's why Lanning is committed to having a spring game, which affords Oregon fans an opportunity to be an active part of that culture of competition and improvement. He said after the team's first practice this spring, 

""I think it's the best way for us to get better," Lanning said of holding a spring game. We're absolutely going to have a spring game and play football in the spring game. We just mentioned new faces, I think that's a great opportunity. Autzen is one of those places where we have a spring game and it's a gameday environment. So creating that environment for those players and the competition that exists in that and our fans and what they bring to that. I think it's a huge piece."

Dan Lanning.

There's a lot of reasons for Oregon fans to be excited about the new passing combination of Moore-to-Moore, but to use one of Lanning's favorite phrases, "the proof's in the pudding." Seeing how well they execute on April 26 will be a leading indicator of what they've got, and whether those bold predictions have any merit.