Before the season, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was featured on gigantic billboards in Japan as part of a Heisman Trophy campaign. Quick to compliment others and seemingly always wearing a smile, Moore led the Ducks into a 2026 season full of promise.

Fast forward to the present, and Moore and Oregon face a much different reality. Ducks coach Dan Lanning said he does not anticipate Moore returning this season after the quarterback suffered a concussion on a targeting hit against USC in Los Angeles. It was a scary scene: Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher, transported to an ambulance and then taken to the hospital.

Dan Lanning Makes His Stance Clear on Dante Moore

After a week that brought more clarity about Moore’s concussion, Lanning made clear that the quarterback’s absence is not a matter of choice.

“I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys,” Lanning said. “But unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me.”

Oregon’s season has not unfolded as Moore or the Ducks envisioned. The team has three losses, and has been all but eliminated from the College Football Playoff.

But Lanning pushed back on the idea that the direction of Oregon’s season has anything to do with Moore’s absence.

“But this isn’t like a selfish decision on Dante’s part saying, 'I don’t want to come back.' The season doesn’t look like the way I want it to look,” Lanning said. “That’s not at all what this is.”

Moore’s team-first mentality has been on full display during his tenure in Eugene. When receiver Dakorien Moore arrived at Oregon in 2025, Dante was one of the first teammates to reach out, bringing him into throwing sessions with older players outside of practice. After Dakorien dealt with an injury, he said Dante helped work him back in and rebuild his confidence.

“Yeah, it’s tough, man. It’s tough,” Lanning continued. “You never step out on the football field in the middle of a game playing and then anticipate that you’re not going to get the opportunity to be able to continue to do that right now in this season and the way it is. So it’s tough, but he’s handled it really well.”

Lanning also did say that Moore is "going to be 100 percent recovered and be able to be an effective player in the future."

Moore has been able to participate in practice since the concussion, throwing and working with the Ducks even as he has remained sidelined on game days. Lanning explained that Oregon can manage Moore’s practice environment in a way that isn’t possible during a game.

“I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. But unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me.”

-Dan Lanning on Dante Moore, who he anticipates is out for the season.https://t.co/D0KcplpKeO pic.twitter.com/xlikqJZoOe

— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) October 27, 2026

“We can control the setting at practice where he’s able to do things for us, where that’s not always the case in the game,” Lanning said. “And, you know, 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. Definitely feel that way, but for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that’s not going to happen.”

Moore’s contributions at practice are helping the Ducks.

“He’s still going to be a big part of this team and helping us, you know, move forward, finding opportunities for us to be better,” Lanning said. “I can tell you we’re getting one of the best scout team quarterback looks every single week in practice.”

Could Dante Moore Return to Oregon Next Season?

Moore’s long-term future is another question for Oregon, though Lanning said it is too early to know what the quarterback will choose.

Asked whether Moore could play for the Ducks next season, Lanning said he did not want to speculate. He acknowledged Moore’s NFL potential but said the two have not discussed what comes next.

“Obviously, he’ll have a decision again at the end of the season and 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.”

Moore was a projected top-five pick for the 2026 NFL Draft. NFL intel has told Oregon Ducks on SI that Moore is "probably" still a first round draft pick, but the full picture of his draft stock is yet to be seen.

Through 20 games at Oregon, Moore has thrown for 4,450 yards and 39 touchdowns. In 2025, his first full season as the Ducks’ starting quarterback, he averaged 237.7 passing yards per game and finished with 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 71.8% completion rate.

In 2026, Moore averaged 283 passing yards in the three full games he played before the USC matchup. Including his appearance against the Trojans, he has thrown for 926 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions this season.

While Moore’s next chapter remains unwritten, the impact he has made on Oregon’s locker room is already clear.