For the past two seasons the Oregon Ducks football program hasn't had to worry about how seasoned its starting quarterback would be to open the year.
Both Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel set new records to NCAA career starts during a collegiate career, and their play highlighted that experience.
But this fall, Dan Lanning's program is expected to be guided by Dante Moore, a former five-star recruit who transferred to Eugene last year and sat behind Gabriel in the fall.
That has led to some questions about his development, particularly by Oregon fans who feel scarred by the hit-or-miss nature of elite recruits at the college level.
How ready would Moore be to lead the charge? Given Oregon's college football playoff expectations, would Moore be up to the challenge from Day 1?
According to multiple sources, the former five-star recruit is flourishing in a key area: the mental aspect of the game.
Over the past week, sources have indicated Moore is processing things at an elite level, drawing comparisons to Nix and Gabriel despite his relative lack of experience.
It should be noted that Moore started all four years in high school, and while that's not the same as college experience, live reps are live reps.
Moore's ability to read a defense, learn the playbook and make the right read in his progression were all pieces that highlight his readiness to become the leader of the program.
His ceiling? There's internal optimism he could become an NFL first-round draft pick if he continues along his current trajectory.
Coming out of Martin Luther King (Michigan) in the class of 2023, Moore was rated the nation's No. 4 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback, behind only Arch Manning and Nico Iamaleava.
After a five-month commitment to Oregon beginning in the summer of 2022, Moore flipped to UCLA ahead of Signing Day and started as a true freshman in Los Angeles, experiencing some ups and downs early with flashes of brilliance.
Moore entered transfer portal following his freshman campaign and committed to Oregon last offseason, sitting behind Gabriel for much of the past season.
By all accounts, the former five-star has been viewed as the heir apparent at the quarterback position since that decision.
Beyond that, however, chatter about his play and potential has largely been quiet.
Oregon true freshman Dakorien Moore provided an intriguing glimpse at the internal hype surrounding Moore when he predicted the quarterback would win the Heisman Trophy on a recent podcast appearance.
“I think he (Dante Moore) will win the Heisman this year,” Dakorien Moore told Ryan Clark on The Pivot Podcast.
Dakorien Moore thinks Dante Moore will win the Heisman 👀🦆
— Oregon Updates (@oregon__updates) April 4, 2025
Full video here: https://t.co/8ElMnUB3LQ pic.twitter.com/OHMqJ5gjUP
No one has doubted Moore's physical tools.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound passer has an NFL frame and possesses elite arm talent with the necessary athleticism to manipulate the pocket and avoid the would-be pass rush.
Due to his relative lack of experience, questions about how quickly Moore could pick up the mental part of the game have lingered.
It has one of the few unknowns about the former five-star recruit.
Within the Oregon program, however, Moore is answering that question with flying colors.
He's checking all the boxes leading into what is projected to be a college football playoff-caliber season in Eugene.