Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was considered a top-two quarterback prospect ahead ofthis year's NFL Draft, but the 20-year-old is pressing pause on his pro career.
Moore revealed Wednesday that he's returning to Eugene for the 2026 season. He made the announcementon SportsCenter.
"I feel like I could have been excited going into there and wherever I got drafted, being blessed to be where I am," Moore said. "But I kind of feel like coming back is the best thing for me, to make sure that when that day does happen, that I'm fully prepared and I'm able to go and play my best ball."
"Of course, I'll be coming back to Oregon for one more year."Dante Moore tells SportsCenter that he's running it back with the Ducks to chase a national championship next season 😤pic.twitter.com/8YpwVafPjJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)January 14, 2026
Following adisappointing 56-22 loss to top-seeded and undefeated Indianain the Peach BowlCollege Football Playoff semifinalthis past weekend, a game in which Moore committed three turnovers,he said he hadn't decidedif he was going to enter his name in this year's draft or return to Oregon for another season.
Yahoo Sports had theNew York Jets taking Moore second overallin its latest mock draft andranked him as the class' No. 18 prospect at midseason.
A quick scouting report from Yahoo's Nate Tice:
Moore has shown much improvement this season. He is accurate and can put the ball where he wants when kept clean. He's a solid athlete and can create enough as a player, but he's best when operating from the pocket and on plays he has spent time on.
Tice also mentioned, though, that Moore could stand to add some bulk to his frame. And now the 6-foot-3, 206-pound signal-caller has a chance to do so at Oregon, wherehe'll be joined by former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Raiola, the Rivals industry ranking's No. 3 QB in the 2024 recruiting class, started 22 games at Nebraska over the past two seasons. He took a big step during the 2025 campaign, posting an 18:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio, along with a 72.4% completion rate, while leading the Cornhuskers back to the AP Top 25 and then to a 6-2 start. His sophomore season was cut shortwhen he suffered a a broken fibula during the third quarter of a 21-17 loss to then-No. 23 USCin the Huskers' ninth game of the year.
He eventually hit the portal andcommitted to Oregon on Monday.
Raiola is expected to back up Moore, much like Moore backed up Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Before redshirting that season, Moore transferred in after having started as a true freshman at UCLA.
"He's a great dude," Moore said of Raiola during his SportsCenter interview Wednesday. "We haven't talked much, but just seeing him and how he just competes, I know when he comes here that he's going to be a great guy for the quarterback room.
"I want to make sure that I give him my ideas, my thoughts that Dillon Gabriel did for me and make sure that I just give him the resources to make sure he's better on his game. But I know when he comes here, he's not going to fall and not push me."
Moore added: "I know he's going to push me in order to compete and have fun. I'm glad to be able to see him."
Moore threw for 3,565 yards, in part thanks to three 300-yard games, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Ducks this season. He completed 71.8% of his passes, a steep increase from his 53.5% completion percentage with the Bruins in 2023.
He led Oregon to an 11-1 regular-season record, notably guiding the Ducks to a double-overtime win over then-No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley.
Oregon earned the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff and rattled off wins over James Madison in the first round and Big 12 champion Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl CFP quarterfinal.
But Indiana proved to be a thorn in the Ducks' side. Moore was picked off twice in a 30-20 regular-season setback to the Hoosiers and then tossed one more interception to go along with his two lost fumbles versus Indiana in the Peach Bowl.
The Hoosiers came out on top, and so did Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza,whom BetMGM now lists as a -10000 favorite to become this year's No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Last week, before Moore's decision, Mendoza was at -550.
Moore's decision to run things back is the kind that's increasingly rare in college football. It will have a ripple effect on an already thin quarterback draft class.
It could also make the difference for an Oregon program that's still searching for that elusive national title.
"I had many great throws, many great plays, but at the end of the day, I feel like I can still learn so much more," Moore said.
"And of course, as a kid since 4 years old, I've dreamed about being in the NFL, but this team, we've been through a lot, and a lot of people are returning. So I feel like we got exciting things coming this year, and I'm excited to keep pushing my team."
