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Being in the College Football Playoff semifinals seemingly would have zero downsides — but in 2025, that's not quite the case.
While 132 other FBS teams are currently diving into recruiting via the transfer portal, which officially opened on Friday, Jan. 2, the Oregon Ducks, Indiana Hoosiers, Ole Miss Rebels and Miami Hurricanes are left in a difficult spot of still preparing for the most important games of their season — while scouring the portal at the same time. That difficult spot is exacerbated for the Ducks by an uncertainty at the game's most important position: quarterback.
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For much of the 2025 regular season, it appeared that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore would return to the program for one more year before entering the 2026 NFL draft. But after having arguably the best three-game stretch of his career to finish season and excelling on a national stage against James Madison in the first round, there's been a growing sentiment that Moore, already rated by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. as the top-rated prospect in the 2025 draft class, would declare for the draft as soon as the Ducks' season comes to a close.
Numerous draft analysts have included Moore in their 2025 mock drafts, with the assumption that Moore will declare because of how high his draft stock has grown.
Not so fast, ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel expressed on an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
"Everyone just slots him in the mock drafts at one or two and just assumes that that's going to happen," Thamel said. "I'm not telling you it's not, but there is a feeling at Oregon that he could stay. He even said that to one of the TV crews going into the JMU game. He's younger, he's seen adversity, he's a little bit of a slight guy, he could probably put on some weight. I'm not telling you he's definitely coming back but I do think that's there on the table."
Moore is extremely well respected within the Oregon program. He stood in the shadows for a year, learned from veteran Dillon Gabriel and excelled when his number was called. He's emerged as a vocal leader of one of the best offenses in the nation. Simply put, he's a beloved Duck by his coaches, teammates and fans.
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But that doesn't change the fact that his decision — or, lack thereof, at this point — to enter the draft or return to Eugene for another season is putting head coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon program in limbo.
As one of the top programs in the nation and one that expects to compete for national championships year after year, a quarterback is near, if not at the top of the list as far as importance in roster-building.
Thamel continued, acknowledging the fact that the Ducks could get left behind in the quarterback sweepstakes if Moore does decide to go pro.
"So if you're Oregon, by the way, you're gonna need a quarterback next year," he said. "All these quarterbacks are falling off the board."
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Oregon has been linked to Arizona State's Sam Leavitt and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 and No. 5 quarterback transfers, respectively, in this years portal.
Of course, that comes with the expectation that Moore leaves — something that isn't such a sure thing as it may seem, according to Thamel, highlighting the difficult spot that the Ducks are in regarding the 2026 season and beyond.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Pete Thamel: Dante Moore's return to Oregon still real possibility
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