Oregon Ducks and Dan Lanning lock in future regardless of looming Dante Moore and his NFL Draft decision
Dan Lanning and Oregon Ducks land quarterback Dylan Raiola via the transfer portal to be their Dante Moore replacement
The Oregon Ducks are still definitely feeling the pain of their devastating College Football Playoff loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, but head coach Dan Lanning and his staff have already made themselves busy, locking in the future of the program.
The transfer portal window is about to close Jan. 16, so the Ducks needed to make sure they added a few top tier talents. None of Lanning’s considerations in the portal were more important than what Oregon was going to do at quarterback when and if Dante Moore declared for the NFL Draft. As of Monday, the Ducks have their guy. Dylan Raiola, the former five star recruit and Nebraska starting quarterback, has committed to Oregon. What does that mean for Moore? Raiola? The Ducks program? Let’s dive in.
What Dylan Raiola commitment means for Oregon Ducks and Dante Moore
The deadline to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft is January 14th for teams not participating in the national championship game. That means that Ducks fans will know very soon if Dante Moore is returning to school, one way or another.
Some Ducks fans may not be happy with Moore given his showing in the final game of Oregon’s run in the College Football Playoff, but he’s considered a like first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for a reason. Oregon will clearly be a better team in 2026 if he does choose to return.
Many believe that Moore would be better served to return considering he still has just 20 college football starts at quarterback. His finish wasn’t exactly spectacular either, especially when it came to dealing with pass rush pressure. Moore did take six sacks in his final two games. Four interceptions throughout the three-game span of playoff action. However, the money involved in heading to the NFL Draft may prove too great.
Regardless of Dante Moore’s decision, Dylan Raiola should give Ducks fans some hope for 2026 success. Why? Prior to his broken fibula injury this year, Raiola was trending toward a phenomenal year two starting for Nebraska. He had already tossed 18 touchdowns and was averaging 8.4 adjusted yards per pass attempt, showcasing much-improved intermediate and deep ball passing (as you can see in the highlights post below). If he is indeed the starter in 2026 — or if he emerges in 2027 after Moore does finally leave after a return — Oregon fans should have confidence that they yet again have an NFL-caliber starting quarterback at the helm.
Although early reports suggest that Raiola would be fine sitting behind Dante Moore for one season — just like Moore did with Dillon Gabriel — this high caliber acquisition should signal that Moore is likely gone to the NFL. The 2026 NFL Draft is perceived to be a weaker class, so the competition for early capital and high guaranteed contract dollars is very slim. Moore should cash in now, especially considering that Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Ty Simpson (Alabama) are the only other true first-round caliber quarterback prospects.
Ducks fans certainly would have loved to get more out of Moore in his short stint with the program, but Oregon will be just fine without him thanks to Dan Lanning’s staff and the acquisition of Dylan Raiola.
We’ll be back with more Oregon Ducks coverage here at A to Z Sports soon. Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news.
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