Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to sit out rest of 2026 season with concussion

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore will not play again this season due to a concussion, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Monday. The senior, who was considered a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has missed the Ducks’ last three contests after sustaining the injury on September 26 against Southern California.

Moore was hit late by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II in the second quarter of that game. He was transported by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center. While MRI and CT scans showed no other issues, medical staff diagnosed a concussion. Moore has not received the clearance needed to return to the field.

“If it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would be out there playing for the guys,” Lanning said. “This isn’t a selfish decision on Dante’s part, saying, ‘I don’t want to come back, the season doesn’t look the way I want it to look.’ That’s not at all what this is.”

Moore entered the USC game with 926 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and no interceptions. He had completed 69.7% of his passes. In recent weeks, he threw the ball during practice to work toward a return, but the coaching staff decided not to rush him into game action.

Since Moore’s injury, Oregon is 1-2 and has scored fewer than 20 points in each game. Backup quarterbacks Dylan Raiola and third-string Brock Thomas have split starting duties without matching Moore’s production. The offensive struggles resulted in the firing of coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday, one day after a 21-10 loss to Illinois.

Lanning named offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson as the new playcaller on Monday night. Johnson is in his first season at Oregon and previously served as offensive coordinator at Wyoming and Michigan State. He has coached in college football since 1994.

Moore began his college career at UCLA in 2023 before transferring to Oregon. He spent the 2024 season as a backup to Dillon Gabriel. In 2025, Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns with a 71% completion rate as Oregon finished 13-2.