The predictions are coming in hot for Dan Lanning and his 2025 Oregon campaign. After putting up a brilliant 2024 with Dillon Gabriel headlining the show, expectations are sky-high for this season. Lanning & Co. are going hard at recruiting, securing one major talent after the other. But all eyes are on Dante Moore, Lanning’s much-sought-after QB, and the fan favorite to emerge as the QB1. The HC has yet to formally announce his starting quarterback. The delay up to that decision can hopefully bring Lanning more things to learn about Moore.
The former UCLA QB was Lanning’s recruit of the year during the transfer portal cycle. He was willing to bet on the QB’s skills and performance in the future and made him sit out in 2024 behind Gabriel. So, Moore not only has to fill in his predecessor’s shoes. He has to deliver upon the expectations Lanning had when he brought him over to Eugene. He’s expected to be a Heisman finalist and display some fireworks by way of his performance on the field. And because of this hype, some baseline stats have already emerged for Moore to meet this season.
Spencer McLaughlin discussed them in a May 23 episode of Locked On Ducks (Oregon). Fans say that considering the way Oregon’s offense is shaping up, 3000 yards is where the bar is set for Moore’s debut as Oregon’s QB1. “[The] 3,000-yard marker, I think, is a fair one with how productive this offense has been. This is Dante Moore’s third season of college football, and he has played a little bit, so he’s got some experience. […] I think it’s fair to expect him to have a few more yards just given the system he’s in and how committed, you know, Oregon is to throwing the football and the RPOS they put in.”
It was a feature that we saw during Marcus Mariota’s time at Oregon as well. He said, “Mariota’s first year starting, he went for just under 2700 yards through the air. So, I won’t see it as a [disappointment]… especially because that Oregon team played 13 games. This one could only play 13. I’d hope this team plays 14. That’s another reason I’d say, yeah, Dante Moore should probably be over 3,000 yards passing for us to feel good about, you know, the baseline level of production he’s capable of in this offense as Oregon’s quarterback.”
This year, Oregon’s offense is also one that’s expected to cause some damage. Moore will be surrounded by some talented players, both old and new. Returning WRs Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan, and freshman Dakorien Moore are names to watch out for. Formidable TE Kenyon Sadiq is also expected to cast some magic on the field when the season begins. Oregon’s 2025 roster is going to be a high-powered one, which has led fans to raise the ceiling for Moore by a lot.
McLaughlin read one of those out. “The floor’s got to be 25 total touchdowns, about 3,000 yards, and under 10 interceptions.” Moore’s first year as a CFB quarterback could not show much of his 5-star status, as he was the backup to Ethan Garber. He ended his lone UCLA season with 1,610 yards, 11 TDs, and 9 interceptions. These numbers might not seem to be very promising, but those of his 2022 season in high school will. In 2022, Moore recorded an impressive 2,392 yards, 32 TDs, and a shockingly low 3 INTs. Those numbers—and more from the previous years—made him UCLA’s highest-rated recruit until Nico Iamaleava.
Dan Lanning is still keen on keeping fans in suspense, as he is yet to announce his QB1. Here’s how McLaughlin thinks the HC is planning out his quarterback strategy.
Dan Lanning might be following Michigan’s plan
Moore is not the only contender for the QB1 crown. Slowly throughout spring, Austin Novosad and Luke Moga are also proving their worth for the job in practice. Moore still enjoys the fan vote to be the starter, as do experts. But he has dipped somewhat in expectations, which is threatening Lanning’s plan for him in the offense. “Dante Moore has not been named Oregon starting quarterback. I don’t expect him to be,” McLaughlin said in a May 19 episode. “I don’t know that Dan Lanning will ever do that.”
McLaughlin said that Lanning plans to follow the roadmap of another program. “They might take the Michigan approach or just, you know, be in that same sort of headspace. ‘We don’t need to name nobody for nothing. We know internally,’” he said in a May __ episode. Just like Moore, Bryce Underwood is expected to take the QB1 spot, though he still hasn’t officially been named as the Wolverines’ starter.
Dante Moore has the goods and the skills to be every bit of the 5-star recruit he was. That cannon arm and deep-ball accuracy should be exploited in every way for him to unanimously secure the fans’ and experts’ support. The bar is set pretty high for him, but it’s at a position he is poised to meet. Can Lanning be the ultimate weapon Dan Lanning hoped to display in 2025?
The post Pressure Mounts on Dante Moore as Strong Oregon Ultimatum Issued After Dan Lanning’s QB Masterplan Nearly Confirmed appeared first on EssentiallySports.