Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has led the No. 5 Ducks to the Peach Bowl, where they will face the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers for a spot in the national championship game. Moore has cemented his reputation as one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season after leading the Ducks to a 13-1 record.
In PFSN’s Draft Consensus Big Board, Moore is the class of 2026’s QB1 ahead of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, leaving Ducks coach Dan Lanning with a possible QB-shaped hole ahead of next season.
Analyst Links Oregon to Portal QB Amid Dante Moore Uncertainty
During Thursday’s segment of “The Audible” podcast, analyst Ralp Russo linked the Ducks to Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has accounted for 5,468 total yards in his college football career.
“I also do wonder, Oregon’s quietness, conspicuous in its absence in all this stuff,” Russo said. “Everybody seems to think that Dante Moore is leaving because Moore has a chance to be one-one in this draft. Indiana already got their guy in Josh Hoover. I don’t think Oregon believe they’ve got their guy in the roster for next year.
Sam Leavitt is from the state of Oregon. Is Sam Leavitt kind of waiting around to talk to Oregon, to see what happens with Dante and maybe there’s some communication there that we don’t know about because Oregon is literally in the process of playing games.”
After entering the transfer portal, Leavitt visited the Kentucky Wildcats and skipped a visit to Texas Tech last week. In addition, he visited Baton Rouge and was spotted with LSU Tigers coach Lane Kiffin, before also traveling to Knoxville for a visit with the Tennessee Volunteers.
During Tuesday’s segment of “The Herd,” analyst Joel Klatt advised Moore to return to college football for an extra year to hone his maturity, theorizing that the Ducks quarterback was too young to excel in the NFL.
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“If Dante Moore called me today, and he said, ‘What should I do?’” Klatt said. “I wouldn’t blink an eye. I would say go back to school. Because it’s no longer just a financial decision. He can make life-changing money at Oregon, much less the National Football League.
“And getting extra starts prepares you for what you could potentially have, which is a long NFL career. Because you want to get to the second contract. That’s the one that really matters for you in the National Football League.”
After taking over the Ducks’ QB1 job from Dillon Gabriel, Moore has tallied 3,280 passing yards, resulting in 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while adding 184 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the national championship-contending Oregon this season.