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PASADENA, Calif. — The illustrious career of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel ended Wednesday with a 41-21 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. With Gabriel departing college football, the biggest question heading into the offseason for Oregon will be finding an answer at quarterback ahead of its Week 1 showdown against FCS powerhouse Montana State.
Although Oregon has successfully utilized the transfer portal to find a plug-and-play starter under coach Dan Lanning, 247Sports insiders do not expect Oregon to pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason.
Under Lanning, Oregon landed former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix following the 2021 season and helped the former highly-touted recruit revitalize his career to become a first-round pick. This past offseason, Lanning secured a commitment from Gabriel, who finished tied with former Houston quarterback Case Keenum for the most touchdown passes (155) in FBS history.
The most logical option as Gabriel’s successor is former five-star quarterback Dante Moore. Moore spent his freshman season under Chip Kelly at UCLA and served as Gabriel’s backup during the 2024 campaign. Another option will be former four-star Austin Novosad, who served as the third-string quarterback behind Gabriel and Moore.
With a quarterback battle likely to ensue this fall at Oregon, here are the top contenders to replace Gabriel.
The frontrunner for the job: Dante Moore
Of the four potential options, Moore is by far the most experienced. Moore had an up-and-down freshman season at UCLA but showed glimpses of why he could be a high-end power conference starting quarterback. Moore entered the 2023 season as UCLA’s backup to Ethan Garbers but “won” the starting job after an impressive performance in Week 2 against San Diego State.
In the first three games of his college career against Coastal Carolina, San Diego State and North Carolina Central, Moore completed 32 of 51 attempts for 615 yards and seven touchdowns. There are some reasons for concern, though, given how Moore crashed into a freshman wall in 2023.Â
After throwing just one interception in his first three games, Moore threw six interceptions in UCLA’s first three conference games against Utah, Washington State and Oregon State. Moore was benched for Garbers following the loss to Oregon State and only made one more start the rest of the season against Cal.
The No. 3 QB prospect in the 2023 class, Moore has the tools to be successful in Oregon’s system. After sitting a full season behind Gabriel, he should be the logical successor at quarterback in 2025. Moreover, Moore’s offensive weapons around him will be better than what he had at UCLA. However, the bust disappointment rate of his class of 2023 five-star quarterbacking peers is perhaps a red flag. Moore is one of three five-star QBs from the cycle to have already transferred, while Malachi Nelson is looking for his third school and Jackson Arnold floundered early for Oklahoma in 2024.Â
Will be in the competition: Austin Novosad
The former No. 157 overall player in the 2023 recruiting cycle should be a quarterback competition with Moore heading into the fall. Novosad was in Oregon’s quarterback room last season alongside Nix and former highly touted recruit Ty Thompson, who transferred to Tulane after the season ended.
Novosad made just one appearance this season and completed both passing attempts for seven yards against Illinois. Novosad appeared in three games as a freshman and saw his most extensive action in Oregon’s win in the Fiesta Bowl over Liberty. He completed five of seven attempts for 38 yards in that game.
While Moore is the likely replacement, Novosad should challenge for the job. Oregon thought highly of him during the recruiting process and was pleased to flip him the native Texan from Baylor on the first day of the Early Signing Period in December of 2022. Â
It’s not realistic that Smith or Sagapolutele would win the job in 2025. Regardless, both players will serve as the future of the program at the position — contingent on Oregon not looking for a veteran quarterback in the transfer portal down the line.
Sagapolutele was a late bloomer who rocketed up the class of 2025 recruiting rankings and currently stands as ranked as the No. 106 player in the Top247 Rankings. Sagapolutele, a former Cal commit, backed off his pledge late in the recruiting cycle and committed to Oregon on National Signing Day.Â
Smith, the son of former Oregon star quarterback Akili Smith, committed to the program in July 2023. Smith ranks as the No. 198 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.
MORE: List of unknowns for Oregon to solve in the coming weeks, according to insiders at Duck Territory
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