The announcement of Dante Moore not returning to the field for the Oregon Ducks in 2026 isn't a complete surprise. The hit he took on Sept. 26 against the USC Trojans was each of the following: scary, dangerous and uncalled for. Moore and his inner circle making the decision to protect his health is an understandable one, even if Oregon remained in national title contention, which they most certainly aren't.
The decision also raises some significant questions.
Will Moore enter the 2027 NFL Draft? He cited increasing his preparedness for the pros as one of the main reasons he opted to return to Eugene despite being a potential top-5 pick last spring. He took part in just two full games this fall, as he didn't play the second half in Week 3 against Portland State and exited early in the second quarter against USC.
Is a return to Oregon on the table? Despite potentially losing a third of its starters to the NFL, the Ducks should return a talented core, assuming there aren't major losses to the transfer portal.
And in the modern age of college football, it's impossible to rule out a transfer elsewhere for Moore, though he's been incredibly loyal to Oregon. Amid an offensive coordinator turnover, would Moore be better off playing at a different program and heading into the 2028 NFL Draft?
Right now, it's all speculation — and nothing that Lanning was willing to touch on during his press conference on Monday night when asked about Moore potentially returning to Oregon in 2027.
"That's not fair for me to say or speculate. Obviously, he'll have a decision again at the end of the season of what that looks like," Lanning said. "I think we all can acknowledge that Dante's a great player, and he'll get the opportunity to be drafted. But what that looks like in the future, I think that's a decision for a later date. I don't know where his mind's at on that. We haven't had that conversation. That's not where my focus is at, or his. I don't think that's where his focus is at right now. There's a reason you get time to be able to make that decision."
On the heels of 2025, a season in which Moore completed 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, the former five-star was widely considered to be the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the draft, falling behind only Indiana Hoosiers standout and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Behind the Las Vegas Raiders in the draft order, who took Mendoza first overall, was the New York Jets, also in need of a young passer to hang their hat on.
Moore spurned the draft, and potentially the Jets, instead turning his attention towards returning to college football with the Ducks. Now, after an uneven start to the 2026 season that included a clear disconnect with his pass catchers in a Week 2 loss to Oklahoma State, Moore has dropped all the way to No. 37 in longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s 2027 big board. While there's some debate to be had, and Kiper certainly doesn't represent the opinion of all league personnel, he falls behind five other quarterbacks on the big board: Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Darian Mensah (Miami), CJ Carr (Notre Dame) and Austin Simmons (Missouri).
Whatever way you look at it, the return to Oregon has not gone anywhere near as planned for Moore. What's next for his future remains a question that may not be answered for awhile, possibly months — but it's one that will have ripple effects on Oregon football for years to come.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning won't speculate on Dante Moore's potential 2027 return