“I’m not gonna lie, like my eyebrows raised when I was standing next to Dante Moore,” Ducks Wire’s Zachary Neel started. Curious enough, right? Dante Moore, who redshirted his first season with the Ducks, didn’t rack up many stats, just a single carry for six yards as the backup QB. Coming from UCLA, his arm strength was the talk of the town, but his mobility? Not so much. But hang on, the offseason saw a major shift in Moore’s capabilities. “I actually hit my goal I wanted to hit this summer,” he said. So, what’s the scoop?

The Ducks won the conference championship, 9-0, last season. But this year, there’s a significant change. Star QB Dillion Gabriel will not be on the turf with the Ducks. Gabriel left for the Cleveland Browns, and Eugene is holding its breath for Dante Moore, a projected QB1 pick. Standing behind Gabriel, he took very detailed notes. The result? Moore unlocked a new skillset. Moore, who recorded negative 84 yards on 45 carries at UCLA, wasn’t known for his speed and mobility. But it appears that all that offseason grind paid off, and things are brightening up for Dan Lanning’s offense.

The update? Well, Moore aimed for 21 mph this offseason, and much to Lanning’s delight, he landed at 21.5. Zachary continued as he mulled over Duck’s offense this season. “I was standing next to Dante Moore, and he revealed that he got a speed up to 21 and a half miles per hour this off-season and is looking to expand his rushing attack as a quarterback.”

Dante is more than thrilled and excited. “Made me happy.” “I almost cried.” Yes, you can feel the emotions rolling off of him. “I’m excited to see what I can do with my feet,” the 6’3, 210-pound QB told the media at the Big 10 media days. Former QBs Dillion Gabriel or Bo Nix were mobile QB threats, where Bo recorded an 80-yard touchdown against Stanford. Now, Moore seems ready to carry that torch.

Zachary continued with, “But if Dante has gone about this and actually made his legs more powerful and useful and kind of opened up his you know what he can do out of the backfield and out of the pocket, it’s pretty intriguing.” Travis Rook-Ley, Director of Content at Ducks Rising, also talked about how the focus on arm strength undermines his other capabilities. “I think naturally, his athleticism gets under discussed, because people think of him just like, arm, arm, arm.”

A further comparison with Ducks TE Kenyon Sadiq was made to gauge Moore’s improvement in mobility. “And for comparison, Kenyon Sadiq is 23 miles per hour, so a mile and a half mile per hour and a half slower than that, still really fast,” Neel said. The message is clear: Dante Moore is stepping up fast, not just as a quarterback, but also embracing his new role on the roster.

Dante Moore steps up to locker room leadership

Dante Moore knows the grind. He is working hard to prove his mettle. He’s not coasting on his five-star pedigree. In fact, he skipped the Manning Passing Academy this summer to stay in Eugene to grind with his wide receivers, which reflects his eagerness to lead the offense. On3 ranked him the No. 6 QB among the top 10 quarterbacks, and the coaches took note as well.

Offensive coordinator Coach Will Stein further took cognizance of Dante’s persistence. “I just think he’s really tried to take a leadership role, and it’s hard when you haven’t played here. We know he’s played at UCLA, but now he’s been here for, you know, a full season, and a full spring. So, he’s really tried to take that next step in knowing his guys.”

With Dante Moore projected to be the QB1, along with rising star DaKorien Moore—the “Moore to Moore,” link is already generating buzz at Eugene. Danning has also put up a robust D-line this season. “To me, it looks like this is going to be a defensive team,” as Big Ten legend and analyst Jake Butt put it. Duo Matayo Uiagalelei and Dillon Thieneman’s defense represents a well-balanced blocking front, designed to suffocate the offense.

Yes, the Ducks lost 10 players to the NFL draft, but despite that, they boast a loaded roster. Last year’s Rose Bowl loss to national champion Ohio State was a gut punch, but it also added fuel to the fire heading into 2025. So, what do you think, will Moore’s aim towards a dual-threat QB help rewrite the narrative in Eugene? Drop your thoughts in the comments.