Oregon QB Dante Moore ruled out for rest of 2026 season

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore will miss the rest of the season, coach Dan Lanning announced Monday night.

“I’m not anticipating him being back this season,” Lanning said.

“Really got clarity for us this past week, for him,” Lanning added. “And I think if it were 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. We can control the setting and practice where he’s able to do things for us, but that’s not always the case in the game.”

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Lanning said he expects Moore, who has run scout-team offense in practice, to fully recover.

“That hasn’t changed,” Lanning said. “Definitely feel that way, but for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that’s not gonna happen.”

Lanning added that Moore would remain involved with the team.

“He’s still going to be a big part of this team and helping us move forward and find opportunities for us to be better,” Lanning said.

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The announcement comes days after the reeling Ducks lost 21-10 at Illinois on Saturday in the third straight game Moore missed while in concussion protocol.

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Before the Illinois game, Moore told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he felt good but didn’t know if he’d return this season and was taking it “one day at a time.”

“That’s all I can do,” he said.

He then began throwing passes on the field in shorts and a sweatshirt.

Saturday’s loss all but knocked Oregon (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) out of the national playoff picture and led Lanning to fire offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday.

Without Moore, Oregon scored 42 points over three games and lost twice while rotating between backup quarterbacks Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas.

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Moore was injured on Sept. 26 at USC while sliding to end a 10-yard run to the USC 13-yard line. As Moore began to slide, Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II hit him in the head with his shoulder.

Moore was taken off the field in a cart and loaded into an ambulance.

Following Moore’s injury, Raiola entered the game and led the Ducks to a 41-27 win.

Moore entered the concussion protocol but returned to practice the following bye week.

Speculation was that Moore would return once he cleared the protocols. But each subsequent availability report listed Moore as out.

On Oct. 10, Oregon lost 17-15 to UCLA, with Raiola struggling through three quarters before being replaced in the fourth quarter by Thomas.

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Thomas started the following week against Nebraska, but he played poorly before Raiola entered the game in the fourth quarter and led the Ducks to a 17-14 comeback win.

Oregon’s realistic national playoff hopes remained alive at 4-2 — until the loss to Illinois.

At 4-3, the Ducks must win their final five games to reach 9-3 and hope enough playoff contenders finish with three losses so the Ducks can receive a berth.

If Moore enters the 2027 NFL Draft, his announcement will end his brief Ducks career, during which he led the program to one of its best seasons.

Lanning said he wasn’t sure what Moore’s plans were after this season.

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“That’s not fair for me to say or speculate,” Lanning said. “Obviously, he’ll have a decision again at the end of the season and what that looks like. I think we all can acknowledge that Dante is a great player and he will get an opportunity to get drafted. But what that looks like in the future, I think that’s a decision for a later date. I don’t know where his mind is at on that. We haven’t had a conversation. That’s not where my focus is at. I don’t think that’s where his focus is at right now. There’s a reason you get time to make that decision later on.”

Moore committed to Oregon in the summer of 2022. Later, he flipped to UCLA in December of 2022 rather than back up Ducks quarterback Bo Nix in 2023.

That summer, Moore learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, adding to the pressure he was feeling while trying to perform as a highly touted freshman.

Moore had a rough freshman season at UCLA. His midseason struggles led Chip Kelly to bench Moore.

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Following the season, Moore entered the transfer portal and committed to the Ducks in December 2023.

Moore transferred to Oregon to develop while backing up the team’s new starter, Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel.

That plan paid off in 2025. Moore passed for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading the Ducks to a 13-2 record and the playoff semifinals, where they lost to eventual national champion Indiana.

Moore, a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, returned to Oregon for his senior season to keep improving with a team that returned eight defensive starters and was expected to contend for a national championship.

Oregon entered the season ranked No. 2 — the highest preseason ranking in program history — and defeated Boise State, 34-27, in the opener.

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Moore passed for a career-high 378 yards with three touchdown passes.

The season began to unravel the following week when the heavily favored Ducks lost 39-31 at Oklahoma State.

The following week, Oregon won 84-0 over Portland State. Next came the USC game.

The Ducks, who host No. 20 Northwestern (6-1, 3-1), could continue to start Raiola or turn to former four-star recruit Akili Smith Jr.

Chances are, Lanning will go with whichever quarterback he believes can win games.

In the offseason, Oregon is expected to seek a quarterback in the transfer portal. With high expectations at Oregon, Lanning likely won’t bank on Raiola or Smith as the starter in 2027.

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