Eugene, Ore. — Dante Moore Won't Return This Season for Oregon

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to play again this season, coach Dan Lanning said Monday night, leaving the senior's NFL Draft plans unresolved with roughly a month left in the regular season.

"I'm not anticipating him being back, no," Lanning told reporters during his weekly news conference in Eugene, according to the Associated Press.

Why Is Dante Moore Out for Oregon?

Moore has not played since sustaining a concussion on a late hit during Oregon's late-September game at Southern California, the Associated Press reported. He began practicing again earlier this month but has remained in the NCAA's concussion protocol, which governs when a player can return to game action after a head injury.

Lanning did not set a timeline for Moore's recovery and said the decision is out of both their hands. "We can control the setting at practice where he's able to do things for us, where that's not always the case in the game," Lanning said, per the AP. "We said before that this is a serious deal that he'll 100 percent be able to make a full recovery from. That hasn't changed, definitely feel that way. But for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that's not going to happen."

What Did Dan Lanning Say About Moore's Recovery?

Lanning said Moore remains engaged with the team despite the layoff, running the scout-team offense in practice. "We'd love to have Dante out there. He's still going to be a big part of this team and helping us move forward, finding opportunities for us to be better. I can tell you, we're getting one of the best scout team quarterback looks every single week in practice, and he looks good out there," Lanning said, according to the AP.

The coach also said Moore would want to play if the choice were his. "I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. But unfortunately, it's not really up to Dante. It's not really up to me," Lanning said.

How Has Oregon Performed Without Moore?

Oregon entered the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 with Moore viewed as a Heisman Trophy candidate. The Ducks are now 4-3 and unranked, the AP reported.

By the numbers

• This season (4 games): 926 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions — Dante Moore, per the Associated Press
• Last season: 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions — Dante Moore, per the Associated Press
• Oregon's last season included just one regular-season loss, at home to Indiana, before a rematch loss to the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the AP reported.

What Does This Mean for Moore's NFL Draft Stock?

Moore, 21, returned to Oregon for his senior season rather than enter the NFL Draft, when he could have been a top-10 pick, according to the Associated Press. A five-star recruit, he started five games as a freshman at UCLA before transferring to Oregon.

The concussion and the shortened season create uncertainty for evaluators who would otherwise have a full senior-year sample to judge against his 2025 production. Lanning declined to speculate on whether Moore might return to Oregon for an additional season, the AP reported, leaving open whether Moore's college career has already ended or merely paused.

What's Next for Oregon and Moore?

• Oregon continues its season without Moore as it looks to climb back into postseason contention from 4-3.
• Lanning has given no public timetable for when or if Moore will resume playing, even in practice settings beyond the scout team.
• Moore's NFL Draft decision — whether to declare or seek a return to Oregon — remains unresolved pending his recovery and the protocol clearance process.
• NFL scouts evaluating Moore will have a smaller 2026 sample: four games before the injury, compared with a full 2025 season.

For now, Lanning's message to reporters was unambiguous about the immediate outlook even as he left Moore's longer-term future open. "That hasn't changed, definitely feel that way," he said of Moore's expected full recovery, "but for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that's not going to happen," according to the New York Post.