Oregon doesn’t expect quarterback Dante Moore to return from his concussion this season, coach Dan Lanning announced on Monday. Moore hasn’t played since Sept. 26, when he suffered a head injury after taking a late hit to the head from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II.
“We really got clarity for us this last week,” Lanning said. “If it was up to Dante in any shape or way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. Unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me. We can control the setting in practice where he’s able to do things for us, but that’s not always the case in the game.
“We said before that this is a serious deal that he’ll 100 percent be able to make a full recovery from. That hasn’t changed. For him to be out there on the field for us right now, that’s not going to happen.”
Lanning added that he anticipates Moore playing a role for the Ducks, even though he won’t be able to play in game action, including helping the defense improve in practice.
“We’re getting one of the best scout team looks every single week in practice, and he looks good out there,” Lanning said.
Prior to his injury, Moore completed 69.7% of his passes for 926 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. Last season, when Moore earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, he connected on 71.8% of his passing attempts for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
With Moore out of the lineup, the Oregon offense has been among the worst in Big Ten play as the team has oscillated between backups Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas. Those shortcomings resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday.
Asked what he needs to see out of Raiola and Thomas moving forward, Lanning emphasized “consistency,” especially when it comes to starting games well.
“We’ve been a really good quarterback room off the bench,” Lanning said. “We haven’t been a very good quarterback room consistently at the start of games.”
Oregon (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) returns to action Saturday against No. 20 Northwestern.
Has Moore played his last game at Oregon?
Even after last season, Moore was projected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick, but he chose to return to college in hopes of winning a national championship.
Obviously, the season didn’t go to plan for Moore or Oregon, and he will have another decision to make at the end of the 2026 campaign. Lanning said he hasn’t spoken with Moore about his plans while adding that his focus is on the season at hand.
“That’s not fair for me to say or speculate,” Lanning said. “He’ll have a decision at the end of the season about what that looks like. I think we all can acknowledge Dante is a great player, and he’ll get the opportunity to be drafted.
“What that looks like in the future, that’s a decision for a later date. We haven’t had that conversation. I don’t know where his mind is at. That’s not where my focus is, and I don’t think that’s where his focus is right now.”
Due to the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility policy, Moore could return to Oregon for the 2027 season. Despite the injury, Moore is once again projected to be a first-round pick, although opinions vary on exactly where he could land.
On one hand, Moore may not want to risk returning for another season, given the fact that a slow start and a season-ending injury have undoubtedly hurt his draft stock. On the other hand, would Moore have any interest in proving his health and working his way back up draft boards next fall?
Another factor Moore will have to consider when making his decision is the state of the quarterback crop in the 2027 draft class, which isn’t getting rave reviews. There’s a chance Moore would be one of the more enticing signal callers in the draft if he decides to make that jump.
