There was little doubt when Dante Moore became the starting quarterback that Austin Novosad would struggle for more playing time. After three years sitting as a backup, Novosad has now left for greener pastures.

On Tuesday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that the Syracuse Orange is emerging as a strong contender in his recruitment: “Syracuse has emerged as a school worth noting at this point in Novosad’s recruitment. He’s a former four-star quarterback and top-150 recruit.”

HC Fran Brown’s Syracuse hadn’t had the best of times this past season. A 3-9 record spoke bitterly of its QB collapse all season long. Although Steve Angeli had gotten it going, with a 3-1 record, a torn Achilles put his junior season to an end. And it did the same to Orange’s playoff hopes.

Adding to the woe, the backup QBs in Rickie Collins, Joe Filardi, and Luke Carney failed to reboot the offense, with the Orange faithful staring down at a disastrous eight-game losing streak. Determined not to repeat a similar disaster, Syracuse is portal shopping, and Austin Novosad has emerged as a lucrative prospect.

Besides Syracuse, Kentucky is speculated to join the chase as well. If the move comes through, Novosad will be joining ex-Oregon OC Will Stein’s roster.

As a former four-star high school recruit, Novosad brought potential to Eugene. In his three-year high school career at Dripping Springs High School, he totaled an impressive 8,983 passing yards for 114 touchdowns and just 18 interceptions.

He led his high school to three Texas state playoffs and was selected to play in the All-American Bowl. His notable performance earned him All-America honors as well. After concluding a successful high school career, he landed in Eugene.

“He has the ability to place the ball,” Lanning said of Oregon’s 2023 quarterback signee. “I think if you watch his film, you’re gonna see some really accurate throws and challenging throws.

“A lot of quarterbacks might be able to throw a deep ball and throw some quick game throws. One thing that shows up consistently with Austin is his ability to throw intermediate routes really accurately. I think that’s hard to do in football.”

Although he had initially committed to Baylor, the then-offensive coordinator Will Stein brought him to Eugene. At that time, Dan Lanning and Oregon had just lost the commitment of Dante Moore to UCLA, and Novosad’s commitment was a big win for them.

Austin Novosad’s patient stint at Eugene

In his freshman season, Austin Novosad redshirted, learning from the veterans. However, with Dante Moore’s arrival the next season, Novosad stared down at a competitive QB room. After Will Howard left for the pro league, Moore and Novosad competed for the starting gig. Dan Lanning remained mum on his QB1 until the final two weeks before the Ducks faced Montana State. While Moore was a breakout freshman at UCLA, Novosad’s high school prowess added to his appeal.

Eventually, Dante Moore won the battle and led the Ducks to the college football semifinals. While Moore built his legacy and increased his NFL stock, Novosad continued to fight for playing time. In the 2025 season, he played just two snaps (one completion) for 40 yards.

Sitting behind Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore helped him hone his craft but also tested his patience. In addition to that, with QB Dylan Raiola’s commitment to Oregon, Eugene’s QB carousel couldn’t be clearer. Although Raiola’s announcement came much later, it was fairly clear that Novosad did not want to spend another year of his eligibility on the depth chart.

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