When Dante Moore announced that he was returning to the Oregon Ducks for the 2026 season, it changed the landscape of the entire sport — both professionally and collegiately.
Not only did Moore take his name out of the upcoming draft, where he was widely considered to be a top-five pick, but his return to the Ducks changes their outlook greatly next season. With him at the helm, plus several other key returners who also spurned the NFL draft, Oregon is expected to be an inner-circle title contender in 2026.
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And it all leads back to Moore, who is ranked at No. 2 on On3’s way-too-early top 10 college football players list in 2026. The only player ahead of the Ducks’ signal-caller is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had a significant hand in the Buckeyes’ 2024 title run as a true freshman and had another strong campaign last season.
Just one other quarterback is on the list, as Arizona State transfer and presumed LSU starter Sam Leavitt finds his way onto the list at No. 10.
The high ranking for Moore is with the expectation that he’ll build upon an excellent redshirt sophomore season in which he completed 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for two scores.
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After beating Penn State in Week 5, Moore emerged as the leader in Heisman Trophy odds before a tough stretch in October knocked him out of the race. But with his talent and potentially another leap in his second season of seeing on-field action at Oregon and third overall, Moore has all the ability in the world to become not only a bona-fide Heisman contender but challenge Smith for the top player in college football.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Where Dante Moore lands in On3’s way-too-early top 10 players in 2026
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