One of the projected top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft is staying in school.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced on Wednesday, Jan. 14 that he’s remaining with the Ducks for the 2026 season rather than heading to the NFL, where he was widely viewed as a top-five selection in a thin class at the position.
Moore’s decision has significant ramifications not only for the NFL, where quarterback-needy teams like the New York Jets may have to look elsewhere for their future signal-caller, but college football.
In his first season as a starter for Oregon, Moore was one of the best quarterbacks in the sport, accounting for 3,721 total yards and 32 touchdowns while helping lead the Ducks to a 12-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. With his return, Oregon will be one of a handful of national championship favorites heading into the 2026 season.
He’ll be returning to a quarterback room that’s just a little more crowded than it was a few days ago.
While Moore was weighing his draft decision, the Ducks landed a commitment on Jan. 12 from Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit who was the Cornhuskers’ starter each of the past two seasons.
What could Moore’s return to Oregon mean for Raiola?
What does Dante Moore’s return mean for Dylan Raiola?
Moore’s return to college football gives Raiola several options.
The first, and perhaps more likely, scenario would involve Raiola sticking with his commitment to the Ducks and backing up Moore for a year. Oregon continued to recruit Raiola out of the transfer portal with the understanding that Moore could still be with the program for the 2026 season, indicating that they knew he might be a backup for a season.
It wouldn’t be unheard of for that program, either. Just look at Moore, a former five-star recruit himself who played one season at UCLA before transferring to Oregon. Once in Eugene, he backed up Dillon Gabriel for a season before assuming the starting role for the 2025 season.
Moore spoke about that possibility when asked about Raiola on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Wednesday, shortly after announcing his choice to stay at Oregon.
“He’s a great dude,” Moore said. “Of course, we haven’t talked much, but just seeing him and how he just competes, I know when he comes here, he’s going to be a great guy for the quarterback room. I want to make sure I give him my ideas and thoughts, like Dillon Gabriel did for me, and make sure I give him the resources to make sure he’s better on his game. I know when he comes here, he’s not going to fall and not push me. I know he’s going to push me, compete and have fun.”
Being a backup for a year could be helpful not only for Raiola’s development, but his health. He suffered a season-ending broken fibula in a Nov. 1 loss to USC and underwent surgery on it days later. Without the looming pressure of being the Ducks’ starter, Raiola could get additional time to recover from his surgery and get back to full strength.
If he transferred to Oregon on the assumption that Moore was off to the NFL and is looking to go elsewhere, he’ll have some options if he wants to jump back into the portal. Several major programs are still in search of a starting quarterback for next season, namely Miami and Tennessee.
Dylan Raiola age
Raiola is 20 years old.
Dylan Raiola eligibility
Raiola played in 13 games as a freshman in 2024 and nine games as a sophomore in 2025, giving him two seasons of eligibility remaining.
FBS coaches voted unanimously on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to adjust the sport’s redshirt rule so that players can play in up to nine games without burning a year of eligibility, though it’s unclear whether that change, if passed, could be applied retroactively.
Dylan Raiola 247
Coming out of Buford High School in Georgia, Raiola was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
As a transfer, he was rated by 247 as the No. 15 overall available transfer and the No. 5 quarterback.