Dan Lanning isn’t bluffing. When the Oregon coach took the podium after the Ducks’ annual spring game on Saturday, he doubled down on a decision that raised a few eyebrows this offseason: not taking a QB from the transfer portal. While the rest of the league continues its full-court press on veteran QBs with game-ready arms, Lanning stuck to his guns. He’s already invested in Dante Moore — financially, developmentally, and philosophically. “Because I like who we have on our roster,” Lanning said. But under the surface of that confidence lies an even juicier truth — Oregon has placed a big, bold bet on Moore.

The kind of bet that costs real dollars and puts a target on your quarterback’s back before he’s even thrown a pass in Autzen as QB1. According to On3’s J.D. PicKell, the agenda behind that gamble is now becoming crystal clear. “Oregon knows quarterbacks. Dan Lanning knows quarterbacks based on his track record, and they love Dante Moore,” PicKell said, noting that the program didn’t just recruit Moore once — they came back for him after his stint at UCLA. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come cheap.

“They’ve recruited him twice and then paid him to sit a year. You know how much you got to be in on a quarterback to pay them — I have to believe a pretty good sum of money — to watch somebody else play quarterback while you’re paying the starting quarterback as well on Dillon Gabriel? You got to like Dante Moore.” It’s rare air. Most college QBs can barely afford to fumble a snap before the wolves start circling. But Moore? He’s already pocketed a $341K NIL bag to watch and learn. An investment that now demands a significant return.

And the belief around Eugene is that Moore is about to give it. “I would get used to this if I’m an Oregon fan. I would get used to seeing Dante Moore deal darts,” PicKell added. He even teased Heisman-level buzz. “Kaiden Smith and I talking before the show, and Kay’s like, ‘You know what man, I wish you could bet someone being a Heisman finalist because right now I’d bet Dante Moore.’ And y’all to be real, I would. I would ask Kaiden whatever he’s putting down on that, and I would say, ‘Hey, go ahead and lump me into that. Let’s both go in on Dante Moore being a Heisman finalist because I think he’s going to be that good.’” With Will Stein at the controls and weapons galore across the Oregon offense, Dante Moore is walking into a system built to inflate numbers — and expectations.

But before he can light up scoreboards, Moore has to hold off a dark horse. Enter Luke Moga. Everyone knew the kid had wheels, but in the spring game, he unveiled a passing toolkit that has fans — and maybe Moore — raising eyebrows. Moga only threw 13 passes, but six of them hit, including a 56-yard bomb to Dillon Gresham that split Oregon’s secondary like a hot knife. That’s 112 yards on just six completions, averaging a ridiculous 18.6 yards per play. It’s early, sure. But if Moga continues to trend this way, he might just evolve from “change-of-pace” to legitimate QB1 insurance.

Still, Dan Lanning isn’t sweating it. He’s leaning into the talent he’s already groomed, and part of that is understanding the chessboard of roster limits and portal volatility. The HC sees enough in Moore — and now Moga — to bypass the roulette wheel of portal QBs, even with experienced arms available.

Moore, for his part, enters the 2025 season with three full years of eligibility remaining and a resume that includes five starts in nine games as a true freshman at UCLA. Still, the Ducks’ long play here is clear.

Dan Lanning dials in, why Oregon’s not chasing portal QBs

For the past two seasons, Dan Lanning has leaned on experienced transfer QBs to keep the Ducks offense flying high. Bo Nix led the charge, then Dillon Gabriel stepped in to carry the torch. So naturally, with a new season approaching, many assumed Lanning might take another dip in the portal pool for a seasoned signal-caller.

But not this time.

This year, the Ducks are putting their trust in former five-star Dante Moore, and Lanning made it clear he’s confident in his QB room. “I like the  guys that we’ve got,” Lanning said Saturday. “And that’s always been something (where) you want to create competition at every position, and we’ve utilized the portal at times when we felt like that helped us and enhanced us and had the opportunity to have success.”

Lanning also pointed out that the portal isn’t always a magic fix. “Sometimes the portal is not all under your control,” he added, referencing scholarship limitations and evolving NCAA rules. “Roster limits have changed some of those things… but ultimately I feel good about the guys we have at that position.”

No panic in Eugene. Lanning’s rolling with his hand—and he’s betting it’s a winning one.