Dante Moore Is Not Expected Back This Season: What Dan Lanning Did and Did Not Say
Dan Lanning was asked Monday night whether Dante Moore would play again this season. “I’m not anticipating him being back, no,” he said. That is not a formal season-ending declaration, and the distinction matters a lot less than it sounds like it should.
Moore has not been medically cleared. He has been throwing in practice and running the scout team, which Lanning made a point of mentioning: “I can tell you, we’re getting one of the best scout team quarterback looks every single week in practice.” He still cannot play in a game.
The Hit Was a Month Ago
Moore was concussed in the second quarter at USC on September 26. He scrambled, tried to slide, and USC linebacker Desman Stephens II hit him late and high. Targeting was called. Moore’s head struck the ground, he was down a long time while a fight broke out around him, and he left the Coliseum by ambulance for Los Angeles General Medical Center. His MRI and CT scans came back clear.
Oregon won that game 41-27. Moore has missed the three since.
Lanning was careful about where the decision sits. “I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys,” he said. “But unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me.” He also said Moore “will 100 percent be able to make a full recovery.”
What Oregon Lost
Moore was a preseason Heisman contender who turned down the NFL to come back. ESPN projected him as a top-three pick had he declared for the 2026 draft. In four games this season he went 69-of-99 for 926 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions, with a 69.7 completion percentage and a 178.27 passer rating. Last year he threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns and Oregon finished 13-2.
Oregon opened this season ranked second in the AP poll. They are 4-3, 2-2 in the Big Ten, and unranked with no votes in the poll released Sunday. They have scored fewer than 20 points in all three games Moore has missed: 15 in a two-point loss to UCLA, 17 in a win over Nebraska, 10 in a 21-10 loss at Illinois.
The playoff conversation is finished in every practical sense. ESPN wrote that the Illinois loss effectively ended Oregon’s College Football Playoff chances for a third straight year. The first CFP rankings come out November 3, and Oregon will not be in the part of them that matters.
The Quarterback Room Has Been the Problem
Lanning said it himself: “We haven’t been a very good quarterback room consistently at the start of games.” Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola has gone 47-of-73 for 515 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions in four games. He was excellent in relief at USC, then went 6-of-19 for 43 yards with two picks against UCLA and got benched over ball security. Former walk-on Brock Thomas made his first career start against Nebraska and is 23-of-40 for 228 yards on the year.
Oregon fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday, the day after the Illinois loss and roughly 30 hours before the Moore announcement. Lanning said he believed “a new direction is necessary to move our offense forward,” then named first-year analyst Jay Johnson the play-caller Monday night.
Whether He Comes Back at All
Moore is 21. He left UCLA for Oregon after his freshman year, and under the NCAA’s five-year eligibility policy he could return in 2027. Mel Kiper Jr. currently ranks him the 25th prospect in the class, and CBS Sports reports he is projected as a first-rounder with opinions varying on where.
Lanning would not speculate. “We haven’t had that conversation,” he said. “I don’t know where his mind is at.” Oregon hosts Northwestern on Saturday.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
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