Between a historic week in the NFL for former Oregon Ducks and a blowout rivalry win over the Oregon State Beavers, it’s a good time to be a fan of the Ducks.
Current quarterback Dante Moore’s consistent monster performances and recent Oregon quarterbacks’ success at the professional level spark debate: Is Oregon the best college in the nation at producing quarterback talent?
Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) and Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) react from the sidelines during the second half Las Vegas Raiders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Denver Broncos signal caller Bo Nix faced off against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers during week 3 in what’s becoming one of Ducks fans’ favorite NFL games of the year.
Oregon’s 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota joined the two former Ducks as a week 3 starting quarterback with Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels out. It marked the first time since 2007 that Oregon saw three former quarterbacks start the same week in the NFL.
Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Dillon Gabriel joins Nix, Herbert and Mariota at the professional level. While Nix and Herbert have established themselves as starters, Gabriel came off the bench and threw his first career touchdown in week 2.
Dec 19, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) embrace following the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Mariota, meanwhile, is arguably one of the league’s top backups. With his starting opportunity against his former team the Las Vegas Raiders, Mariota threw a touchdown on 207 yards and ran for a touchdown.
Gabriel and Nix were both selected into the NFL in the last two drafts. That means that the first two starting quarterbacks to begin coach Dan Lanning’s tenure with Oregon ended up in the league.
Between the Ducks’ success in developing quarterbacks to NFL Draft picks and their ability to earn starting nods (or at least important roles), playing quarterback for Oregon seems to be increasingly attractive to top recruits, given the implications.
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Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers Sept. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
While it was a big week for former Oregon quarterbacks, Moore gave a career-high performance at Autzen Stadium.
Moore finished with four touchdowns, 305 passing yards and he rushed for a career high of 53 yards against Oregon State. Moore currently has 11 touchdowns on 962 passing yards and a 74.7 completion percentage this season.
Sep 13, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) runs the ball past Northwestern Wildcats defensive lineman Anto Saka (4) during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images
“We’re just having fun with the game of football. At the end of the day, forget stats, forget fame,” Moore said. “The main thing is that we just dreamed about being at the University of Oregon, we’re having fun, we’re flying around, and playing for our brother. So that’s the biggest thing has been taking away from these four weeks. We’re excited to keep going.”
The current man under center for Oregon is listed in the top five in Heisman Trophy odds through the first four weeks of the season. The Ducks saw Nix in 2023 and Gabriel in 2024 finish third in Heisman voting.
If Moore sustains his level of play and Oregon finishes with no more than a couple of losses on its record, another trip to the Heisman ceremony would be likely for the program’s quarterback. It would be the sixth Heisman finalist in Oregon’s history, with five of those being quarterbacks.