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…
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Author : Cameron Salerno
Publish date : 2025-01-02 20:36:00
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