"It’s gonna be tough" - CFB insider casts major doubt on Oregon's Dante Moore successfully leading Ducks in 2025

College football analyst David Pollack expressed concerns about Oregon quarterback Dante Moore’s readiness to lead the Ducks ahead of the 2025 season.

Pollack expressed this concern on the See Ball Get Ball podcast with David Pollack;

“I feel like Oregon is gonna have dudes regardless. They’ve been recruiting dudes at a high level. What I think we’ll find out at the quarterback spot is, ‘how ready are you for the moment?’ Obviously having a guy with experience is good because you’re not starting over.

"He’s played some football. I just think it’s the quarterback spot. Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel obviously were dudes, but it’s more now. How ready are you for this moment, and how prepared are you for the big games?”

Pollack also thinks Moore has a high standard to live up to as Oregon’s quarterback, coming after elites like Nix and Gabriel:

“I think, to me, Oregon is gonna go if their quarterback is elite, and be really, really good. I also think the quarterback position has been so good that there’s a standard to live up to. But we’ll see how he does. I do think it’s gonna be tough tough.”

Dante Moore has big shoes to fill as the Ducks' starting quarterback. Gabriel, who led Oregon’s offense last season, finished the season with 3,857 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, as well as earning Oregon’s first berth at the College Football Playoff since 2014.

With Gabriel off to the NFL after getting selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, it’s Moore’s time to step up.

High Heisman expectations set for Dante Moore

Despite struggling to live up to the hype of being a five-star prospect, Dante Moore may be set for an amazing 2025 season.

The Oregon quarterback should be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy this year, according to On3’s J.D. PicKell, who said:

“My expectation for him is the expectation that’s been set there from Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, I expect Dante Moore to be a Heisman finalist. I do. It sounds like we are asking a lot of the guy. Are we?”

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Moore transferred to Oregon following an underwhelming freshman season at UCLA in 2023. After playing backup to Gabriel last season, he's set to lead the Ducks’ offense this fall.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Bhargav