Will Stein reveals 'lofty comparison' of Dante Moore to Teddy Bridgewater

Following his transfer from UCLA, Dante Moore sat behind Dillon Gabriel at Oregon in 2024. Now, he’s looking to become the Ducks’ starting quarterback, and he’s impressing the coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Will Stein raved about Moore’s skillset and growth since arriving in Eugene. In fact, he sees a bit of Gabriel in how the former five-star recruit carries himself, as well as some of Bo Nix’s intangible skills.

But Stein went a step further. He compared Moore to one of his college teammates – and not just because he wears a glove. Stein said he sees strong similarities to Teddy Bridgewater.

“[Since] he has gotten here, you can see his talent has flourished,” Stein said Tuesday. “So humble, he’s willing to learn. He’s a great blend of, like, Bo [Nix’s] football IQ and Dillon [Gabriel] just can pull everybody together, which is really unique and special.

“I’ve said in here before but he wears five, he’s got a glove on his left hand. I played with Teddy Bridgewater. He does remind me a lot of Teddy. Now, Teddy threw the glove on his right hand. That’s a lofty comparison for me, but he’s just got kind of that moxie about him, that ‘it’ factor that people just gravitate towards.”

Stein and Bridgewater overlapped at Louisville during their college careers. Bridgewater was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 before he became a first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, where he played three years. He then suited up for the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. After a year coaching high school football at his alma mater Miami (Fla.) Northwestern, Bridgewater signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Will Stein: Dante Moore has ‘elite arm talent’

Dante Moore began his career at UCLA under Chip Kelly and entered the transfer portal after his freshman year. During that lone season in Westwood, he threw for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns, to nine interceptions.

As Will Stein and the Oregon staff went through their evaluation, they looked at the film from PFF and solely broke down Moore’s completions. They saw an arm ability that jumped off the page right away, and considering his previous relationship with Moore from the recruiting process, Stein figured out why things didn’t necessarily work out at UCLA.

“What I saw when it turned on the tape, like, ‘Wow,’ throws,” Stein said. “Like, ‘Oh my gosh. Dang, that was a ball.’ When those kept showing up on the completions, some corner routes or scramble throws, you’re like, ‘Dude, this guy’s got elite arm talent.’ And I’d previously known Dante because, if you remember when I got here, he was committed.

“So I went to MLK, I went to Detroit the two times that I was allowed to when I first got here. So knowing him, knowing his family, knowing the people around him, his high school coaches, I knew he was about the right stuff. It didn’t translate to UCLA – and not because of lack of scheme. I think we all know Chip Kelly’s a great coach. I just don’t think he had the players around him that you need if you’re a true freshman to go be super successful.”