Coming into the 2025 season, nobody really knew what to expect from quarterback Dante Moore .
Sure, he was a five-star recruit in 2023 and Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson claimed that he'd be a Heisman finalist this season, but it also took him all of spring ball and deep into fall camp to earn the starting job. The last time he appeared on the field receiving meaningful snaps was during his true freshman season with the UCLA Bruins , in which he looked frazzled, was inaccurate and ultimately ineffective.
But it was apparent right away in the season-opener against the Montana State Bobcats that this version of Moore was different. He had some stuff to him.
In that game, albeit against an FCS opponent, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound passer completed 18 of 23 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns — with impressive ease. He stood tall in the pocket, making good decisions and delivering catchable balls to his receivers. When needed, he tucked it and ran, including a first down run in the first quarter in which he flexed his muscled and got the crowd going.
We've seen more of the same as the season has progressed: steady, reliable and composed. As far as his on-field skills, he's been accurate and made smart decisions with the football while having a knack for creating explosive plays.
Moore's also been resilient, as evidenced by the fact that he rebounded from a tough three out of four-game stretch against the Indiana Hoosiers , Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes to finish the regular-season with three consecutive 250-plus yard outings, a first in his career.
All of that has put Moore in the conversation for the best quarterback in the country and elevated him to a finalist for the Manning Award, one of the most prestigious honors in college football.
It's an impressive list of passers that were announced as finalists:
Notre Dame's CJ Carr
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza
North Texas' Drew Mestemaker
Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia
Georgia's Gunner Stockton
The winner will be announced after the College Football Playoff National Championship in January, giving Moore the entire postseason to show that he's worthy of winning the award outright.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore named a Manning Award finalist
