As Dan Lanning continues to build the Oregon Ducks football program, reloading with elite talent seemingly on an annual basis, it looks like he’s built nearly the perfect quarterback room ahead of the 2024 Oregon football season.
It certainly sounds like the good folks over at Pro Football Focus (PFF) are more than just a little impressed with the talent assembled at quarterback in Eugene, Oregon.
As PFF notes in their recent preseason quarterback room rankings, the Ducks have the second-best quarterback room (per their metrics and measurements) heading into the 2024 college football season.
That puts the Ducks just one spot behind the Georgia Bulldogs prior to the start of this season. And all things considered, that’s not a bad spot to be in.
Oregon football: Dillon Gabriel, Dante Moore help give Ducks’ elite recognition at quarterback
Obviously the biggest splash that Lanning and the Oregon Ducks made when rounding out the quarterback room heading into this season was getting Dillon Gabriel to Eugene after the departure of Bo Nix to the NFL.
Gabriel is a huge reason for this particular lofty ranking and he’s generally a big reason for a lot of the optimism surrounding the Ducks this year. Gabriel, who is a seasoned veteran and is benefitting from extra eligibility, is entering his sixth collegiate season. He’s played for both the UCF Knights and Oklahoma Sooners. With all that playing time, he brings a wealth of experience and production to Eugene.
Expect him to be in the Heisman conversation this season.
But, it’s worth noting that this QB room isn’t just Gabriel. Right behind him is the incredibly talented Dante Moore, who transferred to ORegon from UCLA. Moore has a ton of talent and potential and, with time to develop, he could be a very dangerous offensive weapon in the near future. He’s a great backup to have on this roster.
From there, there’s even more talent. Rounding out Oregon's impressive depth chart is redshirt freshman Austin Novosad, who was a stellar recruit out of high school.