After the Oregon Ducks defeated the eventual national champion Ohio State in the regular season, they didn’t think they would see the Buckeyes again. But the top-ranked Ducks met them once more in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs, this time losing 41-21.
Oregon’s starting quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns in the game. After transferring from Oklahoma to Oregon in 2024, the Ducks offense used him to his fullest potential in their 13-0 regular-season run, but now he’s leaving for the NFL. So, who will replace him?
CFB Analyst Confident in Dante Moore’s Abilities
Dante Moore, who transferred from UCLA last season and played behind Gabriel, is expected to take the reins after recording seven completions for 49 yards.
On Jan. 22, college football analyst Brandon Huffman sat down with John Canzano on the latter’s eponymous radio show. They discussed what the upcoming season will be like at Oregon, especially the outlook for their future QB, Moore.
Can the Oregon offense get even better? @BrandonHuffman of 247 Sports thinks Dante Moore can take the Ducks offense to another level! 👀#GoDucks @johncanzanobft pic.twitter.com/Tc3iTRKPbM
— 750 The Game (@750TheGame) January 23, 2025
“The pressure wasn’t on him to be the guy (this year),” Huffman said.
“That kind of allowed him to step back, and I think he’s more than ready. He’s a more talented passer and really a better athlete than Dillon Gabriel, and I think that he’s going to take that offense to another level. … There was never any real interest in going after a portal quarterback at Oregon. Because they were so high on what Dante Moore could be.”
Stepping into Gabriel’s shoes will not be easy, as the Ducks averaged 36.9 points per game in their 2024 campaign. Gabriel racked up 4,006 total yards and 37 scores, booking his plane ticket to New York as a Heisman finalist.
However, it seems like Moore is up for a challenge as he was seen working hard at the team’s conditioning workouts.
Good morning….
219 days until Dante Moore proves a lot of you haters wrong pic.twitter.com/4EoU8LZy73
— Levi (@LeviB88) January 23, 2025
Apart from this, with early Heisman projections in and Moore’s name on the list, it’s safe to assume that the consensus is he will be Oregon’s next starting signal-caller. He’s not a Heisman favorite, but he’s in the top 10 with +2000 odds on FanDuel. He had 114 completions for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman at UCLA.
Meanwhile, in Pro Football Network’s latest 7-Round Mock Draft, Gabriel is projected to be selected at No. 134 by the Miami Dolphins.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.
