Oregon quarterback Dante Moore will miss the remainder of the 2026 college football season due to a concussion sustained against USC on September 26, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Monday, Oct. 26. The sidelined senior, once a projected top NFL draft pick, leaves the Ducks with a 4-3 record.
Oregon’s pursuit of a national championship has taken a definitive hit. Ducks coach Dan Lanning confirmed during his weekly news conference that Dante Moore is not expected to return for the balance of the 2026 college football season, effectively closing the book on a campaign that unraveled following a late September collision.
Moore has been sidelined since taking an illegal hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II while sliding during a Week 4 matchup. The blow required the quarterback to leave the stadium in an ambulance. Although initial medical evaluations diagnosed a concussion and raised hopes of an eventual comeback, Moore missed three consecutive games before Monday’s announcement ruled him out entirely.
Dan Lanning Confirms Concussion Sidelines Dante Moore for the Rest of 2026
The decision to shut down the team’s starting quarterback followed weeks of careful evaluation and a recent lack of medical clearance. Lanning emphasized that the prolonged recovery involved strict medical protocols rather than a lack of desire from the player.
If it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. Unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me. We can control the setting at practice where he’s able to do things for us, where that’s not always the case in a game. We said before that this is a serious deal that he’ll 100% make a full recovery from; that hasn’t changed. But for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that’s not gonna happen.
Dan Lanning, Oregon Head Coach, via Ducks Wire
Lanning also dismissed suggestions that the decision stemmed from frustration with the team’s on-field struggles, stating that 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.’
NEWS: Oregon coach Dan Lanning announces that star quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to play the rest of the season. He hasn’t played since suffering a concussion against USC on Sept. 26. Moore returned to Oregon for 2026 after projecting as a top pick in the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/BcpO6Jrd0M
How Oregon’s Offense Faltered Without Its Star Quarterback
Before the injury cut his campaign short, Moore anchored a high-powered Ducks attack. In just four appearances, he accumulated 926 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 69.7 percent of his passes. His absence immediately exposed vulnerabilities across the roster.
Without their starting signal-caller, the Ducks dropped to a 4-3 record and fell out of the national top 25 rankings, effectively extinguishing their College Football Playoff aspirations. Oregon started the campaign with at least 31 points in the first four games, but that production plummeted to an average of just 14 points over the next three contests.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning says QB Dante Moore won't return this season from the concussion he suffered in late September. https://t.co/R6OeCzFOQv
The offensive regression prompted personnel changes in Eugene. Following a 21-10 loss to Illinois in Week 8, Lanning fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. The coaching staff leaned on a rotation of backups, including Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas, as the team struggled to find consistency under center.
Dante Moore Weighs 2027 NFL Draft Options and Academic Honors
As Moore watches from the sidelines, attention turns to his professional future. After transferring from UCLA for the 2024 season and guiding the Ducks to the playoff semifinals in 2025, Moore bypassed the NFL draft to return for his senior year. Analysts previously projected him as a potential top selection, and recent mock drafts continue to position him high among draft prospects, with USA TODAY Sports projecting him as the No. 3 pick.
Lanning declined to speculate on whether Moore will declare for the 2027 NFL Draft or utilize another year of college eligibility. Thanks to the NCAA’s five-year eligibility policy, Moore retains the option to return to college football next season.
That’s not fair for me to say or speculate. Obviously, he’ll have a decision at the end of the season. I think we all can acknowledge that Dante’s a great player, and he’ll get the opportunity to be drafted.
Dan Lanning, Oregon Head Coach, via USA Today
Amid the physical recovery, Moore received national recognition for his work away from the gridiron. The National Football Foundation named him one of 18 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors the top combination of academics, leadership, and on-field performance in college football. The sociology major holds a 3.27 GPA and earns an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2026 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class.
Dante Moore is not coming back. Oregon's football season was off the rails even before that news. What happens next for Moore and the Ducks?Sifting through it: https://t.co/q3HkfXDWJ0 pic.twitter.com/F8KOa6cHkH
Oregon returns to action hosting No. 20 Northwestern on Saturday, looking to secure bowl eligibility while playing the rest of a challenging Big Ten schedule without its leader.
Full @espn story on Dante Moore’s season coming to an end, per Dan Lanning. https://t.co/o7h0wMmeDH
More on Dante Moore
Oregon is expected to be without star QB Dante Moore the remainder of the season, per head coach Dan Lanning pic.twitter.com/QDvVmiaDQu
Dante Moore entered the season with hopes of being a top 5 pick.The evaluation is much more complicated after a season that did not go as expected. https://t.co/5QOpXe54ic
BREAKING: Oregon QB Dante Moore is not expected to play the rest of the season. He hasn’t played since suffering a concussion against USC on Sept. 26.
