Dante Moore not expected back this season for…
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to return this season, coach Dan Lanning announced Monday evening.
Moore has not performed since getting concussed on a late hit at Southern California in late September. He resumed training earlier this month but remained in the concussion protocol.
“I’m not anticipating him being back, no,” Lanning said during his weekly news convention in Eugene.
Moore returned to college as a senior instead of declaring for the NFL draft when he might have been a top-10 decide. The Ducks had been ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 forward of this season and Moore was thought-about a candidate for the Heisman Trophy; they’re now 4-3 and unranked.
Moore, 21, threw for 926 yards and 9 touchdowns with no interceptions in 4 video games this season.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) congratulates the UCLA Bruins after a recreation at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via GWN Connect
“I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. But unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me,” Lanning said. “We can control the setting at practice where he’s able to do things for us, where that’s not always the case in the game. And you know, we said before that this is a serious deal that he’ll 100 percent be able to make a full recovery from. That hasn’t changed, definitely feel that way. But for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that’s not going to happen.”
Lanning declined to speculate about whether or not Moore would possibly return to Oregon next season.
“We’d love to have Dante out there. He’s still going to be a big part of this team and helping us move forward, finding opportunities for us to be better. I can tell you, we’re getting one of the best scout team quarterback looks every single week in practice, and he looks good out there,” Lanning said.
Moore threw for 3,565 yards, with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. Oregon had just one loss in the common season, at home to Indiana, before dropping to the Hoosiers again in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
A five-star recruit, Moore began 5 video games for UCLA as a freshman, throwing for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He transferred to Oregon and spent 2024 as Dillon Gabriel’s backup, finally taking a redshirt.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is hit after sliding by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II during a recreation at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif., on Monday, September 28, 2026. USA TODAY Network via GWN Connect
Dylan Raiola took over for Moore against the Trojans, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-27 victory. But Raiola, who beforehand began two seasons at Nebraska, struggled in a 17-15 loss to UCLA, finishing 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions.
Third-stringer Brock Turner began the next week against Nebraska, but he was ineffective. Raiola relieved him and discovered Jamari Johnson for a 4-yard scoring go with 28 seconds left that gave Oregon a 17-14 win.
Raiola was 27 of 41 for 246 yards last Saturday in a 21-10 loss at Illinois, which successfully ended the Ducks’ hopes for a playoff berth. The next day, Oregon fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer.
The Ducks host No. 20 Northwestern on Saturday.
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