Recruiting, whether talking about high school players or the transfer portal, never stops turning. Even on the cusp of a Rose Bowl berth on New Year's Day, that's certainly the case for the Oregon Ducks.

As Oregon fans prepare for the College Football Playoffs, life after Dillon Gabriel certainly has to be on the back of their minds. With the Portal in full swing, we should take a look at whether or not Oregon should be in the quarterback market for a plug-and-play starter like they have been in recent years, starting with the quarterbacks that are returning.

Returning: Dante Moore, Austin Novosad

On the roster, the Ducks will bring back Austin Novosad and Dante Moore, with Moore being a former highly-coveted 5-star recruit. Both players have plenty of promise and have looked good in limited reps. Moore is currently expected to be the presumed starter for 2025, having sat behind Gabriel and learned the system over the course of the season. 

Incoming freshmen: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Akili Smith Jr., Mark Wiepert

The Ducks did great in the 2025 recruiting class, averaging the highest percentage of blue chip recruits of any recruiting class in the country. 

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a quarterback out of Hawaii that will keep the pipeline going. Sagapolutele just broke several of Gabriel's Hawaiian high school passing records, and has a ton of upside.

Akili Smith Jr., if the name doesn't give it away, is a legacy quarterback. Smith has been committed to Oregon since the summer. Despite being a bit of lower-ranked prospect, he has plenty of tools and a big frame at 6'5" 233 lbs. Smith and Sagapolutele will come in and compete to be the quarterback of the future.

Transfer Portal quarterback options

In two of the last three offseasons, there have been talented options in the transfer portal that the Ducks have gone after in Bo Nix and Gabriel. This year doesn't appear to be that way.

There are some options in the portal if the Ducks want to bring someone in, but nobody out there has the pedigree and the talent to be brought in as the de facto starting quarterback like in the last few years. 

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At some point, Oregon needs to turn to the young talent on the roster and see what they have. Entering his third season of college football, it should be Dante Moore's turn to take the reins so head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks can see what they have in live game situations.

There's a couple things factoring into this. Firstly, he's immensely talented and the school believes in him. Secondly, Oregon has a favorable schedule on paper for the 2025 season. Thirdly, so long as Novosad stays on the roster, Oregon would feel good about the backup option should Moore falter. 

Oregon will always prioritize winning. If they think there's a quarterback in the portal that will help them win, they'll go after him. But this seems like an offseason where the best options for the Ducks are already in house, with the incoming freshmen waiting in the wings for their opportunity in the future. 

Ducks’ Dillon Gabriel didn’t win the Heisman Trophy but there’s plenty of reason as to why he should have

You heard me.

Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.