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Iapani Laloulu sees improved leadership from Dante Moore in 2026
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- Iapani Laloulu sees improved leadership from Dante Moore in 2026
When Dante Moore announced that he was returning to the Oregon Ducks for the 2026 season during an appearance on ESPN's SportCenter, he preached improving both his leadership and readiness as goals before moving on to the pros.
While it's very early on, as the Ducks have only had a handful of spring practices, one teammate in particular lauded Moore for the steps that he's taken in regards to finding his voice since the conclusion of last season.
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"He's been more vocal," Oregon center Iapani Laloulu said during a press conference on Tuesday. "Obviously, that's one of the biggest things. And just seeing when your QB is, like, vocal out there, you know, just calling the shots and making sure everybody's upholding the standard is probably one of the biggest things. So Dante is growing every single day, and I love that man."
There's not many connections like a quarterback-center connection in football. Though the positions have very different job descriptions, the two have to work in lockstep. Not only do they have to be aligned on the snap count and the process of snapping and gathering the ball, but protections are determined by what both of them see. In short, communication and comfortability between the quarterback and center is paramount.
That's why there's no better player to ask on the Oregon roster about Moore's leadership than Laloulu. And not only does Laloulu simply work closely alongside Moore — he also knows a couple things about leadership himself.
A contributor in 14 games as a freshman and the starting center as a sophomore in 2024 until now, Laloulu quickly grew into the leader of an offensive line unit that routinely has been named Joe Moore Award finalists. There hasn't been much stability, with talented players coming and going — outside of Laloulu.
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He and Moore both decided to return for another season this fall, with Laloulu now clearly seeing the strides that Moore has taken.
As an early-season Heisman Trophy favorite, it appeared that Moore was a on fast track to being the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But warts began to appear during a rough November stretch and a pair of tough Indiana losses, as Moore fell behind Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the undisputed QB1 in the 2026 draft class.
Despite that, and having just 20 college starts under his belt, Moore was still widely expected to be selected at No. 2 by the quarterback-needy New York Jets due to his sheer talent. But it was the former five-star passer who took his own name out the running, making a near-unprecedented decision that garnered plenty of chatter among analysts and fans alike.
Passing up potentially $50 million worth of an NFL contract. Putting himself at risk of injury or hurting his draft stock with another season at the college level. Those were the concerns that arose around Moore's decision — yet he was steadfast when he announced his decision in January and remains steadfast at improving what he needs to improve.
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If Laloulu's word is true, early returns show that Moore is on his way to proving himself right.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore accomplishing goal of improving leadership in 2026
