"My separation will be my preparation": Oregon QB Dante Moore makes confident remarks for 2025 season opener

Dante Moore and Austin Novosad are in competition to become Oregon’s starting quarterback after Dillon Gabriel left for the NFL. With the season opener less than two weeks away, Moore is seen by many as the favorite.

Moore transferred from UCLA to Oregon after the 2023 season and spent 2024 as Gabriel’s backup, which helped him grow and learn. Now, he is prepared to put those lessons into practice.

"I feel like my preparation this year is going to be off the roof," Moore said. "Having Dillon last year and seeing the way he prepared, and the way he just took many great checks into the field, and put our team in great positions, I feel like I learned a lot from him."

Besides Moore and Novosad, Oregon's QB room for 2025 also features Luke Moga, Brock Thomas, Ryder Hayes, Akili Smith Jr. and Mark Wiepert. Except for Smith, each scholarship QB has at least one year of experience with offensive coordinator Will Stein’s system.

With Oregon set to open the season against Montana State on Aug. 30, Stein noted that the quarterback competition has been “really competitive” in the last few weeks.

However, Moore thinks he has one quality, which separates him from other QBs.

"Every quarterback can throw the ball," Moore said. "Every quarterback can make a right check, but I feel like just the preparation, understanding what the defense is going to bring in that game. So, I feel like my separation will be my preparation."

Will Stein sees shades of Teddy Bridgewater in Dante Moore

In limited action during the 2024 season, Dante Moore completed 7 of 8 passes for 49 yards, adding one rush for six yards.

Despite the small sample size, Will Stein has expressed strong confidence in Moore and even compared the Oregon quarterback to 10-year NFL veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who was his former teammate at Louisville.

"I think I’ve said this before but, he (Moore) wears No. 5, he’s got a glove on his left hand, I played with Teddy Bridgewater, and he does remind me a lot of Teddy," Stein said (via SI).

"Now, Teddy threw with a glove on his right hand. That’s a lofty comparison for me, but he’s just got that moxie about him, that it-factor that people just gravitate toward."

Moore was a former five-star quarterback and one of the best players in the 2023 class. He has also been described by Stein as a unique blend of Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel.