Dan Lanning holding high expectations for young quarterback room

EUGENE, Ore. — After completing the eighth practice of spring Saturday, the Oregon Coach feels the players in his quarterback room are looking promising, and continue to impress.

Although Dan Lanning is a defensive-minded coach, he has a great track record with gunslingers in Eugene. There’s no denying that Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel set the bar high on what it means to be a Duck signal-caller over the past three seasons. After all, they both finished in the top-10 nationally in passing efficiency, and completion percentage during that span.

Lanning understands that his quarterback will be vital to Oregon’s overall success, and finds it encouraging that there’s quality over quantity in the room. Dante Moore, Austin Novosad and Luke Moga are all taking snaps behind center through spring ball, and Lanning is enjoying what each individual brings to the table.

The position requires a ton of responsibility in Will Stein’s scheme too, and he works closely with the quarterbacks. Now Lanning is waiting to see if one player can separate himself from the rest of the pack, and display the right qualities.

“Efficiency, who can operate and keep the ball out of jeopardy, and who understands the system,” Lanning said. “The thing about the quarterback is that you gotta get everybody lined up, you gotta understand the protections, the play clock and the operations.”

It’s no mystery that Moore is the headliner, considering he’s a former five-star prospect, who has the most experience. The 19-year old started five games at UCLA under Chip Kelly in 2023, and threw for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns. Moore also appeared in five games for the Ducks last season, and completed seven of his eight passes.

Novosad appeared in three games last year, and completed two passes. It’s beneficial that the redshirt sophomore learned a lot a from being in the same room with Nix and Gabriel over the past two years. Moga did not play at all in 2024, and redshirted, but still has a lot of talent and athletic ability.

Incoming true freshman Akili Smith Jr., is the son of a Hall of Fame Duck, and has a lot of hype behind his name. Lanning sees great value in all of them, and is confident the position will be a team strength in his fourth year on the job.

“There’s a lot that we ask of our quarterbacks to do here, and I think that allows them to play fast once they get into a rhythm of that,” he said. “Who’s moving the ball down the field, who’s creating touchdowns, makes the play of the people around them better, and is able to operate our system.”

There will be a bullseye on the Ducks after completing a perfect regular season, and winning the Big Ten, so whoever wins the job has to keep his head on a swivel. Everyone knows it’s Moore’s job to lose, but being mentally and physically ready will go a long way with leading the locker room.

Now that Oregon has reached the midpoint of spring ball after the physical scrimmage from a couple of days ago, Lanning feels the quarterbacks are ahead of schedule with their development. Which means the best is yet to come in for the offense in the 39-year old’s mind.

“There’s a teaching progression and a play progression to everything that we do, same with quarterbacks, so I’m more concerned about are their eyes in the right spot to start, and are they making the right calls, reads and checks.”