Pressure Mounts on Dante Moore as Doubts Emerge Over Dan Lanning’s $1.7M Mastermind’s Oregon Agenda

Dan Lanning finished the 2024 season with a 13-1 record and a Rose Bowl appearance, and he’s not stopping. Recruiting? He’s on fire and just picked up Alabama four-star defensive lineman Cam Pritchett for the class of 2027. The 2026 class ranks 29th nationally, which falls below Lanning’s normal standards, and fans are watching intently as the Ducks pursue five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and other top prospects. There’s a feeling that the next few weeks may determine Oregon football’s destiny, particularly as Lanning attempts to keep the Ducks in the national spotlight while shoving the SEC and Big Ten behemoths aside. That’s where Dante Moore, the quarterback all of Eugene is abuzz about, comes in.

Moore’s path has been anything but dull—he started at UCLA, displaying flashes of real talent (and a few freshman miscues), then transferred to Oregon and rode the pine last season as a backup to Dillon Gabriel. That one year on the sidelines? It turns out to be just what the doctor ordered. Moore says he feels more comfortable, more confident, and more prepared to be the man, crediting offensive coordinator Will Stein for allowing him to play freely and learn from his errors.

Lanning’s $1.7 million investment, Stein’s method is all about liberty—he wants Moore to observe the field, make his own decisions, and not be an automaton. Yeah, the national media is doubting—ESPN has Oregon’s QB corps way down in their preseason levels—but in Eugene, the perception is Moore’s ceiling is limitless, and he could very well surprise everybody. And then there are plenty of question marks around the QB situation. During CBS Sports’ June 5th broadcast, ex-QB Danny Kanell had some crucial issues to raise.

“I’m curious to see with Will Stein and the system that they’re going to run, do they take some of the workload off of the quarterback’s shoulders?” claims Kanell. With Dillon Gabriel headed to the NFL, the Ducks face a struggle between Dante Moore and Austin Novosad—both great, perhaps, but green as grass to the old-school vets Oregon has had in recent seasons. And that’s where Will Stein enters the picture. His offense is designed to be “quarterback friendly”—plenty of screens, underneath passes, and check-downs. Sounds wonderful on paper, correct? But when the heat is on and against Big Ten defenses, can a duo of inexperienced QBs continue to keep the Ducks rolling at a championship rate?

And that’s why Kanell reports. “But you can’t do that all season long. At some point, they’re going to have to air it out somewhat, but early to start the season, Montana State, you can get your feet wet. Probably both will play, but I would expect they want to know who their guy is before they face off on CBS against Oklahoma State.” The Ducks are starting the season against Montana State—a game in which, face it, Oregon’s overall talent gap means they can splurge on trying things out. It’s the ideal chance for both QBs to get some live reps, wet their feet, and find out who can deal with the pressure better.

Immediately following Montana State, the Ducks play Oklahoma State on national television. That’s when reality sets in. Oklahoma State, despite its own QB changeover, is a Big 12 powerhouse and will not be nearly as lenient as Montana State. By then, Oregon cannot keep hedging on the quarterback. They’ll have to know who their man is because a revolving door under the center is a formula for failure when the competition heats up. “Will Stein’s offense is already pretty quarterback-friendly,” according to Erik Skopil. “Whether that was accurate or not, that’s the reputation, and so for a quarterback like Dante or Austin, who are coming in here who are relatively green,” he adds.

They don’t need to walk in and be heroes immediately. Instead, the offense allows them to gain confidence with safe throws, quick routes, and a solid run game to fall back on. And Stein enjoys using motion and innovative formations to get receivers open, which makes the reads even simpler for a young QB. Is Will Stein a genius or merely another coordinator with a flashy playbook? Oregon’s got some talent, of course, but talent does not a Big Ten champion make. The Ducks are counting on Stein’s scheme to paper over all the inexperience, but there is a very good chance the wheels might wobble, particularly if the new QB can’t cut it or the defense develops a leak.

Dan Lanning’s New QB Hope

Dante Moore spent a full season in the Oregon system, learning behind Gabriel and under the guidance of offensive coordinator Will Stein. This isn’t a situation where the Ducks are scrambling to fit a new QB into their playbook at the last minute. Instead, Moore is a “talented, developed player who already knows your system,” as one Big Ten coach put it. That’s a big plus, particularly in relation to other schools that must reconfigure their offense for a transfer quarterback at the last minute.

Lanning’s faith stems from his close witness of Moore’s development—Moore isn’t a raw, unpolished talent but a kid who’s grown, knows the offense, and is poised to take over. The Ducks develop quarterbacks who thrive at the next level—Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, and Marcus Mariota, to name a few—and Lanning believes Moore possesses the skills to be next on that list. There’s also relief in how Moore’s transition has played out. He’s not being dumped into the fire; he’s been able to acclimate, develop chemistry with his wideouts, and soak up the ins and outs of Stein’s quarterback-guru system. That’s a luxury most staff don’t experience when introducing a new starter.

Of course, the pressure remains—the Ducks lost starters to the NFL, the Big Ten schedule is ferocious, and the expectations are stratospheric. But there’s something of a sense that he’s (Dante Moore) ready, steady, and respected in the locker room—giving Lanning a semblance of peace in all the offseason tumult.

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