The Oregon Ducks head into the 2026 college football season as one of the front runners for the National Championship. While you can point to Dan Lanning's success as a head coach, Oregon's recent success, or the talent on the roster, one player more than anyone drives the hype. When Dante Moore announced his decision to return to Oregon rather than heading to the NFL Draft, it instantly changed the potential for this season.
In his first season as the Ducks' starting quarterback, Dante Moore passed for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport. While everyone applauds the performance by Moore, it's often overlooked how he reached the point he's at today.
Dante Moore hopes he's giving Dylan Raiola the blueprint for success
Coming out of High School, Dante Moore was one of the top recruits in the Country, and was a long-time Oregon commit. Losing offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham ended up hurting Oregon as it led to Moore flipping his commitment to UCLA. The move may have ended up being one of the best things that could happen for Dante Moore and Oregon.
Moore spent his true freshman season as UCLA's starting quarterback, where he showed a ton of flashes, but also a ton of areas where he needed to improve. After his freshman season, Dante Moore made an incredibly rare decision to transfer to Oregon, where he'd be going from a starting quarterback to a backup.
The Ducks brought in college veteran Dillon Gabriel who doesn't have nearly as much raw talent as Moore, but he was great in all the areas young quarterbacks take time to pick up. When Moore finally returned to the starting role this season after learning behind Gabriel, it was clear the gutsy decision paid off.
This offseason, Oregon got Dante Moore back for one season, which made it clear the quarterback wasn't a priority in the Transfer Portal. That's why it was shocking when another former 5-star quarterback, Dylan Raiola parted ways with Nebraska after two seasons as a starter and passed up on starting roles to back up Moore.
At Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, Dante Moore was asked about his new backup quarterback, and he spoke about how great the move can be for Raiola.
"I hope I started a good trend. I got the chance to learn from a vet. Of course, had the chance to sharpen my tools that offseason, learn the offense, and with Dylan Raiola coming in, he's a quarterback that of course came straight to me and said, "I'm willing to learn.""Dante Moore
The message Dante Moore sends is the right one, and it was clear he had the right attitude when he made the decision, and it looks like Dylan Raiola is sharing the same.
For every 5-star recruit, it isn't as simple as instantly becoming a star, as oftentimes they'll struggle with the adjustment to college football. Where some players go wrong is following up a start to their career that wasn't perfect by chasing another big role when, actually taking a step back and developing could be more beneficial.
Oregon has clearly shown this plan can work out for former top recruits, and the results helped the Ducks land Dylan Raiola. While the Ducks continuing to strike gold would be great for the program, this is also an approach that should be used throughout college football, as it would end up making most teams better. It'll be interesting to see if the trend continues, but Dan Lanning and his staff have done a ton to make it a great option.
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