Oregon's been in a slump in 2026 quarterback recruiting. In the last six months they suffered multiple setbacks:
• Lost Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to Cal
• Lost a OREGON commit Jonas Williams to USC
• Swung and missed on Jared Curtis
• Swung and missed on Ryder Lyons
None of these are death blows for a program that's sent back-to-back quarterbacks to New York as Heisman finalists. The Ducks boast four former starters currently playing in the NFL and two in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
They're set at QB for 2025 with one of the strongest rooms in college football:
Dante Moore, redshirt sophomore, likely starter, former 5-star with a pro-caliber passing arm
Austin Novosad, redshirt sophomore, quality back-up, a four-star who could start for a lot of teams, a 8,943-yard passer from Dripping Springs Texas.
Luke Moga, redshirt freshman, four-star recruit in 2026, a scrappy underdog who started two seasons at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix while running a 10.49 100 meters at the 2023 A1A Division I State Championship.
While the other guys get touted and featured on podcasts and magazine covers, Moga keeps working in the lab.
— Luke Moga (@LukeMogaQB) February 28, 2025
Akili Smith Jr., redshirt freshman, last-year's blue-chip recruit, 6-6 and mobile, ranked the No. 14 quarterback in the country by Rivals in 2025.
On the "Always College Football" podcast with host Greg McElroy of ESPN, Dan Lanning said about his quarterbacks, "I think what’s really critical is they have to be themselves."
“But we got to figure out what they can handle. Whether it’s Dante or Austin (Novosad) or Luke (Moga) or whoever’s out there for us at quarterback, each one of them is going to be a little bit different."
Ideally a program wants to sign a quarterback recruit every cycle. It creates competition and a natural progression in the room, and it's a hedge against the vagaries of the portal and a run of injuries.
Duck fans remember 2007 and 2008, when the team had to go five-deep at the position to get through the season, getting down to Justin Roper in 2007 and a JUCO transfer named Jeremiah Masoli in '08, even burning Darren Thomas' redshirt in a loss to Boise State.
Depth at quarterback is essential, though Oregon QBs don't take as many hits as they did in the Chip Kelly Spread Offense.
For 2026, the Ducks have two targets left in the pipeline, Bryson Beaver of Vista Murrieta in California, dual-sport star Matt Ponatoski of Cincinnati, Ohio. Both visited last weekend, each having Oregon in their final group but picking up rising interest from big-money NIL powerhouses as the last top-quality passers on the board.
Alabama, LSU and Auburn have come sniffing around, so a bidding war has started.
The other viable option for the Ducks is to sit and wait. They've been strategic in the frenzied House Settlement/revenue-sharing insanity of 2026 recruiting, saving their chips as competing programs offer absurd cash offers to unproven high school talent.
Oh, Oregon has added some top-drawer prospects for 2026, like Kendre Harrison, Tradarian Ball, Messiah Hampton, Jett Washington, Ami Moala and Tony Cumberland, but they've bided their time. As opponents have exhausted their cap overpaying for players, the Ducks have saved a war chest they can apply to retaining an incredibly roster of young talent.
In 2026 Oregon will have the money to hold on to the players on the roster and invite veterans like Kenyon Sadiq, Moore and Teitum Tuioti to run it back for a run at a championship.
If they miss on a 2026 quarterback, they have the budget to bid on a proven performer in the portal. Six of the top ten quarterbacks in the 2025 class have already switched schools. Six of the last eight Heisman winners were transfers.
The Ducks had pretty good luck with Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix, though a coach would rather find a high school quarterback and develop him, have him in his system for three to four seasons. There's still time for Moga or Smith Jr. to become that guy.
The grass is still green. Dan Lanning remains committed to success, at quarterback and everywhere else.