Joel Klatt ranks Oregon No. 4 in early top 25, labels Dante Moore as Heisman darkhorse

The Oregon Ducks had a remarkable first season in the Big Ten, going unbeaten in the regular season and winning the conference. Now, a year removed from that and following a disappointing College Football Playoff performance, head coach Dan Lanning is looking to get his Ducks back to full strength.

On the Joel Klatt Show, Klatt recently broke down his Top 25 teams in college football following spring ball. There, he ranked Oregon fourth in the country with much of his expectations for the Ducks hinging on quarterback Dante Moore.

“At number four, we’re getting into some high-level teams here, Oregon,” Joel Klatt said. “I believe in Dante Moore. We forgot about Dante Moore. I’m just telling you right now, I believe in Dante Moore. This was a highly recruited guy that went to UCLA and played for Chip Kelly and played as a true freshman. Now, he was playing behind a really bad offensive line and there was a start in particular and some snaps in particular that he took in Rice-Eccles Stadium against Utah on the road when that Utah defense was fierce.”

Dante Moore was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He was the third-ranked player overall and the second-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. In his freshman season at UCLA, he completed 53.5 percent of passes for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He’d then transfer to get a year of development at Oregon in 2024.

“It didn’t go well for him. They went in a different direction. He transferred and he sat behind Dillon Gabriel last year at Oregon and now he’s gonna get his shot. I think he, Dante Moore, is a darkhorse Heisman candidate. Watch out for Dante Moore. He was a huge recruit and I think he is a good fit for Will Stein‘s offense — the offensive coordinator up there. He’s gonna have Evan Stewart back. The five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore could be this year’s freshman star wide receiver like we saw last year with Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams.”

Klatt also pointed out that Oregon isn’t just relying on youth. The Ducks are also going to return plenty of talent and dipped into the Transfer Portal to fill in gaps on the roster.

“Lanning has a pipeline of talent just year after year coming through those doors in Eugene. They’ve got the number one transfer portal class by average player ranking. A guy that I really love and is a Lanning-style player for that defense, Dillon Thieneman comes in from Purdue. This is a good player, folks. Watch out for the running back Makhi Hughes, comes in from Tulane. This is gonna be a damn good team,” Klatt said.

“And remember now, no one’s talking about them since they got bounced so early in the Playoff and their first Playoff game by the way, that Rose Bowl. They were undefeated. Number one in the country. They had that one terrible outing against Ohio State. You think that this offseason hasn’t had some urgency around it in Eugene? I know it has. I know it has. So, watch out for Oregon.”

The Oregon Ducks will begin their 2025 campaign against Montana State on August 30th. After that, Big Ten play kicks off against Northwestern on September 13th.