Dante Moore surprised plenty of people by passing on what many projected as a top-five selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Two years earlier, he had arrived in Eugene after a rocky freshman season at UCLA and spent a year learning behind Dillon Gabriel before taking over the offense. Now the roles have flipped. Asked at Big Ten Media Days about Dylan Raiola’s arrival, he said the conversations felt familiar.

“When he came in, we talked about his past at Nebraska a little bit,” Dante Moore said at Big Ten Media Days via Big Ten Network. “Asked him some questions, some things he needs to work on. And he asked me a lot of questions when I came and did the same thing he did when I sat behind Dillon Gabriel.”

There’s one part of the conversation that stood out to Dante Moore. When he asked Dylan Raiola what he wants to be at the end of his career, the former Nebraska star said he wants to make an impact, not just in football but in the community.

“I’ve been teaching him a lot,” he said. “He’s been teaching me as well. He’s been pushing me in the weight room and I feel like overall we’re getting better and I’m excited for him for the future.”

Both were 5-star recruits Oregon chased out of high school. Dante Moore arrived after an uneven year at UCLA. Dylan Raiola comes in after throwing for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns across two seasons at Nebraska.

Instead of competing for the same job, they’re building the same room. That matters because the Ducks’ 2026 starting QB may need every bit of leadership he can provide. Dan Lanning admitted the biggest unknown on his roster is the offensive line protecting him.

“It’s a really talented group with a lack of experience,” he told Big Ten Network. “That’s probably the group to watch as we approach this next season. There’s a lot of different pieces that can fall into place, a lot of competition at that position.”

He also made it clear Oregon won’t change its approach in preseason camp.

“We’re going to bang regardless,” he said. “It’ll look very similar to what it has in the past.”

The concern isn’t hard to understand. Oregon must replace three starters after losing Emmanuel Pregnon, Isaiah World and Alex Harkey to the NFL. Rather than patch the holes with portal veterans, the Ducks are betting on young linemen already inside the program. Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu and Dave Iuli return, but several candidates fighting for tackle jobs have never started a college game.

Dan Lanning isn’t panicking, though. He pointed to offensive line coach A’lique Terry’s track record.

“We’ve been Joe Moore Award finalists three years in a row,” he said. “That doesn’t happen on accident.”

There’s another concern. Oregon also enters the season with first-year OC Drew Mehringer, who’s replacing Will Stein. That’s why the offensive line carries so much weight. 

Dante Moore is experienced, and Dylan Raiola gives Oregon one of the country’s strongest backup QB situations. But if the new line takes time to settle while a new OC finds his rhythm, the Ducks’ biggest hurdle may come down to who’s standing in front of the one throwing the ball.