Dante Moore Reportedly Set to Be Oregon QB1 vs. Montana State, Former 5-Star Recruit

Despite never making a formal announcement, Oregon has reportedly decided on its starting quarterback for Saturday's season-opening game against FCS Montana State.

According to On3.com's Pete Nakos, redshirt sophomore quarterback Dante Moore will get the start when the Ducks host the Bobcats at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Moore is a former 5-star recruit who was rated as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 4 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class by 247Sports.

As a freshman in 2023, Moore appeared in nine games and made five starts for UCLA, going 3-2. He also completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Moore transferred to Oregon at the end of the season, and he served as the backup to Dillon Gabriel during the 2024 campaign.

He played only sparingly behind the third-place finisher in the Heisman Trophy voting, going 7-of-8 for 49 yards with no touchdowns or picks, and watching Gabriel lead the Ducks to a 13-0 record before falling to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl during the College Football Playoffs.

With Gabriel moving on to the NFL as a third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, it left a significant void for head coach Dan Lanning to fill.

Leading up to the start of the 2025 college football season, Moore had plenty of competition in the form of sophomore Austin Novosad and redshirt freshman Luke Moga.

Moore perhaps benefited from his significant experience edge, as Moga has never taken a snap at the collegiate level, while Novosad has attempted just 13 passes over two seasons.

Oregon has a long history of stars at the quarterback position, so Moore has some big shoes to fill in Eugene.

In addition to Gabriel last year, Bo Nix was Oregon's starting quarterback in 2022 and 2023 before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos.

Gabriel and Nix are among the most decorated quarterbacks in FBS history with Gabriel ranking first in career touchdown passes and second in career passing yards, and Nix ranking seventh in career passing yardage.

Both Gabriel and Nix benefited greatly from Lanning's up-tempo offensive system, and the hope at Oregon is that Moore will be able to transition seamlessly into the starting role just like they did before him.