Oregon Ducksfans have officially seen the last of quarterback Dante Moore playing in Eugene.
On Monday night, head coach Dan Lanning announced that Moore, who has not played since suffering a concussion in Week 4 against the USC Trojans, will not be returning to the field this year for the Ducks and will instead focus on preparation for the upcoming 2027 NFL Draft.
"I think if it was up to Dante in any way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys," Lanning said. "Unfortunately, it's not really up to Dante, it's not really up to me. We can control the setting at practice where he's able to do things for us, where that's not always the case in a game. We said before that this is a serious deal that he'll 100% 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 gonna happen."
Moore, who was considered a top-five pick had he entered last year's draft, decided to return to Oregon for one more year in order to compete for a national championship and further improve as a passer. However, after his unfortunate injury and the Ducks' subsequent downturn without him under center, the chances of reaching the College Football Playoff are slim to none, and the risk of further injury far outweighs the benefit of playing any longer at the collegiate level.
His Oregon career officially ends with 4,540 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, completing over 71% of his passes. As the starter for the Ducks, Moore went 16-3, leading the team to an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal a year ago.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see where Moore lands in mock draft conversations. Some analysts, like Todd McShay, still had Moore as a top 5 pick earlier this year, but that could change now that he is choosing not to play for the rest of the season.
As for the Ducks, they will likely move forward with Dylan Raiola at the helm, or could potentially try our Akili Smith or Brock Thomas more going forward. Sitting with a 4-3 record and facing tough games against the Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, and Washington Huskies between now and the end of the season, it will be a real challenge to pick up two more wins and become bowl-eligible.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: BREAKING: Oregon QB Dante Moore will not return to field in 2026
