Dante Moore and the Oregon Ducks college football program are not having a good 2026 season. The college football program has been very disappointing this season, despite starting the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. They have fallen to a 4-3 overall record and 2-2 in the Big Ten conference.
The team is currently unranked and virtually eliminated from College Football Playoff contention. There is much pressure on the program right now, with Moore also injured. One analyst thinks that the quarterback still has a future ahead of him.
Analyst hypes up Dante Moore for next draft
Moore will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a concussion on September 26, 2026, against USC. The injury occurred when linebacker Desman Stephens II delivered a late hit as Moore slid at the end of a scramble. The quarterback was then taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center. MRI and CT scans were clean, but the concussion kept him out of the next three games.
On October 26, 2026, head coach Dan Lanning confirmed Moore is not expected to return to game action. Lanning said the decision is medical, noting Moore has participated in controlled practice settings and provides strong scout-team looks, but full clearance for competition has not been granted. Lanning emphasized a complete recovery is anticipated.
He said, “I think if it was up to Dante in any shape or way, he would want to be out there playing for guys, but unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me.” He added, “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 … but for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that’s not going to happen.”
Before the injury, Moore completed 69 of 99 passes (69.7 percent) for 926 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions in four games. In his first season as Oregon’s starter back in 2025, he threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns. He had been projected as a top draft prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft but instead returned to college.
On ESPN’s Get Up, analyst Jordan Rodgers maintained that Moore still remains a first-round talent for the 2027 draft. The analyst said, “Absolutely I think he is, he is a first-round pick still. I think we have a little bit of recency bias. Last year he was the best in the country with ball location. He had more NFL translatable throws, layered throws, intermediate, perimeter throws, than (Fernando) Mendoza did.”
He added, “Obviously Mendoza was the right pick to go first, even if Dante was in that draft. But yes we would like to see a bigger body of work from Dante but there is still so much that you go through the tape and go, ‘That absolutely translates.'”
It is unclear when Dante Moore would return, and whether he could be a top pick in the next draft. He retains eligibility for 2027 under NCAA rules and faces a decision on declaring for the draft or continuing his college career.
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