Dante Moore and the Oregon Ducks are set to take on Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl tomorrow. The Ducks advanced to the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoffs after the quarterback threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns against James Madison.
After sitting behind current NFL quarterback Dillon Gabriel in 2024, Moore threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2025 in his first season as a starter. The Oregon quarterback is eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dante Moore at Career Crossroads Ahead Of 2026 NFL Draft
Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Oregon quarterback has been widely mocked as a top-five pick in the draft. One of the teams that Moore has been repeatedly mocked to is the New York Jets, who currently have the No.3 overall pick behind the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants.
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire offers high praise for Oregon quarterback Dante Moore ahead of the Orange Bowl:
“Well, I mean no disrespect to any quarterback that we face, but he’s the best quarterback we’ve played all year long.”#GoDucks | #WreckEm | #CFP pic.twitter.com/nEQPWRKhKC
— Olivia Cleary (@LivCleary) December 31, 2025
“I like Dante Moore a lot. But he’s twenty years old. What a disaster it would be to send him to the Jets. I want to see the kid succeed, and reportedly, he’s a great kid.” CFB analyst Colin Cowherd suggested during the latest episode of “The Herd.”
With a year left of eligibility, the twenty-year-old ranks 22nd nationally in his position according to PFSN’s impact rankings. With an impact score of 85.9, Moore threw for over 2733 yards and twenty-four touchdowns in the regular season.
After joining the UCLA Bruins as a five-star recruit in the class of 2023, the Oregon quarterback started just five games for the Bruins before joining the Ducks. Moore led Dan Lanning’s side to an 11-1 record in his first season as a starter.
According to a recent report from NFL insider Jeff Howe, some NFL executives may view the Oregon quarterback as the consensus number one overall pick, surpassing Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. However, his inexperience as a starter could come back to bite him.
“Dante Moore has the most upside physically of the three (QBs) in terms of being able to move, throw on the move, escape, horsepower in the arm,” an executive said. “But he’s started (13) games. He’s a baby in terms of playing the position.” The report read.
In recent weeks, there have been multiple mock drafts sending Dante Moore to the New York Jets. However, Cowherd served a warning to the Oregon quarterback, comparing his situation to that of a former No. 1 overall pick, Sam Darnold.
“Look how good Sam Darnold is. Look how good Darnold was in college. He went to New York, the dysfunctional jets. And he was 20, it was a disaster. Dante Moore, you can’t overcome weak rosters and shaky front offices.” Cowherd warned.
MORE: Oregon OC Will Stein Confirms Latest on Dante Moore’s NFL Draft Decision
Similar to Dante Moore, Darnold had little time as a starter before entering the NFL Draft. He took over early in his first season in 2016 after redshirting in his Freshman year at USC. In his first full season as the starter in 2017, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback threw for over 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns.
However, there is no guarantee where the Oregon quarterback will end up, as he has yet to decide on whether he will declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Moore still has the rest of the playoffs to showcase whether he is ready to make the step up to the NFL.
“Dante Moore’s next test is Texas Tech against some edge rushers who will give him problems like NFL guys. He’ll be under more stress with their front. If he plays well, he’ll push Mendoza for QB1. But he may still go back to school. I wouldn’t fault him for that,” another executive reported.
According to PFSN’s Defense Impact rankings, the Oregon quarterback will take on one of the toughest defenses in college football tomorrow. The Texas Tech Red Raiders rank fourth nationally with an impact score of 95.6, behind Indiana, Ohio State, and Oklahoma.
