Dan Lanning quotes Nick Saban to critically compare Dante Moore to Dillon Gabriel & Bo Nix ahead of 2025 season

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is battling to take over the NFL-bound QB Dillon Gabriel's starting role under coach Dan Lanning. Also in the running for the Ducks' QB1 role is Austin Novosad.

Moore initially committed to the Oregon Ducks in the class of 2022, but he flipped his commitment to the UCLA Bruins to play under offensive guru Chip Kelly. He entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2023 season and joined coach Dan Lanning's team, where he backed up Gabriel last season.

During Wednesday's segment of the "On3" podcast, Lanning revealed how he enticed Moore to Eugene the second time around (7:53).

"It was a lot easier round two," Dan Lanning said. "Dante became available. We obviously already had a pre-existing relationship. I think he saw all the things that he wanted and knew that they existed here. Because of how strong the process was the first time. How much he knew about Oregon already, the amount of players he knew on the team, the culture and the coaches that were here."

When asked about Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson's claim that he had never seen a QB throw like Moore, Lanning referenced his mentor Nick Saban's words about players getting too much praise from the media while comparing his budding QB1 to Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix.

"What would coach Nick Saban say right now? 'Rat poison, that's what this is.' Dante is a really talented player," Lanning said. "We've had some great quarterbacks on our team.

"Bo Nix was a Heisman finalist, you look at Dillon, he was a Heisman finalist. Like, we've had guys that have come here and performed at a really high level. Dante has all those abilities but I'm excited to see what he does. But he knows and I know that he hasn't done it yet."

Dante Moore brushes away Dillon Gabriel, Bo Nix hype

The last two Oregon quarterbacks, Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, have both been Heisman Trophy finalists, putting immense pressure on the successor of the Ducks' starting quarterback.

During an interview with 247Sports last week, Dante Moore revealed how he was dealing with being a potential successor to the likes of Nix and Gabriel.

"I mean, you go from Joey Harrington to Marcus Mariota, you got Darren Thomas, you got Bo Nix, you know, got Dillon, Gabriel, so many big quarterbacks," Dante Moore said. "But really, I'm just thinking about my style of play, how I can better the team, just how to make myself feel comfortable on the football field. I've learned a lot from Dillon."

During his sole season as a starter for the UCLA Bruins, Dante Moore tallied 1,610 yards on 53.5% completion, resulting in 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. As a backup to Dillon Gabriel last season, he managed 49 yards on 87.5% completion.