Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning announced on Monday that quarterback Dante Moore is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 college football season.
This is brutal news for the Ducks as Moore wasn't projected to miss much time originally when he suffered a concussion on Sept. 26 versus the USC Trojans. However, he ended up missing the last three games, and now he will not play for the rest of the season. Lanning said he hasn't officially been cleared to compete in games yet.
"I think if it was up to Dante in any shape or way, he'd want to be out there playing for you guys. Unfortunately, it's not really up to Dante, it's not up to me," Lanning said Monday. "... It's a serious deal that you'll 100% be able to make a full recovery from, that hasn't changed. Definitely feel that way. But, for him to be out there on the field for us, that's not going to happen."
Lanning continued to clarify that Moore really wanted to return this season, but he isn't allowed to. The Ducks' rollercoaster of a a season had nothing to do with the decision.
"This isn't a selfish decision on Dante's part, saying, 'I don't want to come back, the season doesn't look the way I want it to look.’ That's not at all what this is," Lanning said.
Moore hasn't completely stayed off the field the past month, though. The quarterback recently practiced and threw the football around, leading fans to believe he would return to the field sometime soon. Lanning said Moore "looked good" practicing on the field.
The quarterback will continue to work with the team in various ways helping them plan for matchups. But, he won't take the field for the rest of the season.
The biggest concern about Moore being shut down for the season regards his future in the NFL. Moore was fully expected to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, but he ultimately decided to return to Oregon for his senior season. Him missing the majority of the season will now put his status for the 2027 draft in limbo. NFL scouts may not be as interested in the quarterback now that he only played in four games this season.
...
Before suffering the concussion last month, Moore completed 69.7% of his passes for 926 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. Last season as Oregon's starter, Moore led the Ducks to a 13-2 record. He threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Oregon will now turn to both Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas for the rest of the season, both of who have struggled in their starts the last three games. Raiola led the Ducks to a brutal loss to the UCLA Bruins, prompting him to be benched for Thomas. The following game, Thomas started against Nebraska, but then he was benched late for Raiola. The latter started against Illinois, but the Ducks suffered another rough loss. Oregon sits 4-3 on the season.
Lanning hasn't made his decision for who will start on Saturday versus the ranked Northwestern Wildcats.