Oregon Ducks' Will Stein Shares Important Update on Status of Quarterback Room

While meeting with the media Tuesday in Eugene, Stein implied that the coaching staff is nearing an official decision. Time is ticking, as kickoff against Montana State on Aug. 30 is just a handful of days away.

"It's been great. It's been, like I said, really competitive," Stein said. "I think it's starting to kind of shape out a little bit for us, and we'll see here in the next week or so where we're gonna go.”

The Ducks could either be staying true to the gamesmanship aspect of announcing a starter or they simply are just torn on who will be the starter. The former seems the most likely scenario given Moore's experience and overall ability edge on Novosad, who projects to be Oregon's quarterback of the future if Moore plays his way into the NFL conversation.

Moore served as Gabriel's backup last season, finishing the 2024 campaign with limited action. He went 7 of 8 passing for 49 yards and no touchdowns to go along with one carry for six yards, making appearances against Oregon State, Michigan State, Washington and at the Rose Bowl against Ohio State.

Will Stein Compares Dante Moore to Dillon Gabriel, Bo Nix

Stein even went as far to say that he sees "a great blend" of Nix and Gabriel in Moore, which is about as high a compliment that a quarterback can receive at the college level.

“He reminds me he's a great blend of like Bo (Nix’s) football, IQ and Dillon (Gabriel) just can grab it, can pull everybody together, which is really unique and special. I think I've said it in him before, but he wears five, he's got a glove on his left hand. I played with Teddy Bridgewater. He does remind me a lot of Teddy. Teddy threw the glove on his right hand, but that's a lofty comparison for me, but he's just got that kind of, that moxie about him, that it factor, that people just gravitate towards.”

A Detroit native, Moore came out of Martin Luther King High School as a five-star quarterback and one of the best players in the 2023 recruiting class. He had offers from programs like LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and many more. 

He was one of the notable names in a 2023 recruiting class that featured quarterbacks like Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava, Malachi Nelson, Jaden Rashada, Jackson Arnold, Avery Johnson and more.

Moore committed to UCLA and spent just one season with the Bruins in 2023, finishing that year 114 of 213 passing for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He then hit the portal and arrived to Oregon last offseason.