Oregon is once again shaping up to be a team worth looking out for. Last season, the Ducks charged ahead, breaking past all hurdles. A major reason they were able to do that was because of the offense, designed by Will Stein. And the star of that offense was Dillon Gabriel. This year, Dante Moore will likely will lead his 3rd offense for the program, as Oregon’s new QB1. However, Moore will be stepping into some huge shoes to fill, given the impact his predecessors in that position have left on the program. Stein threw light on his expectations for the new QB1.
Stein took hold of the Oregon offense from the 2023 season. He proved to be an instrumental hire for the program from then on. ESPN says Stein’s offense led the FBS in scoring (39.5 PPG) and came second in yards per play (7.1). His offense has led the quarterbacks of both seasons, Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, to become back-to-back Heisman finalists. And, it helped Oregon get to the crucial milestone of being seeded as the No. 1 team. That’s not an easy feat for an OC who was making his debut in the Big 10. Sports Grid ranked Oregon Ducks’ 2025 offense as the 6th best, with elements like Makhi Hughes, Dakorien Moore, and Dante Moore in play.
Given his record, Stein has some expectations for the ultimate winner of Oregon’s QB1 race. In a July 3 video of George Wrighster’s College Football Podcast, the OC told the host, “I think it really boils down to just having command of the offense, being able for me to call a play into their ear and for them to call it right in the huddle. For them to get to the line of scrimmage with enough time to potentially change the protection, change the run scheme. Being able to read the defense and then go to the correct place with the ball. And I know that’s all cliche. That was all coach talk, but it’s really that simple.”
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Oregon at Oregon State Sep 14, 2024 Corvallis, Oregon, USA Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore 5 calls a play during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Corvallis Reser Stadium Oregon USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCraigxStrobeckx 202409014_cec_qi6_341
Stein himself played as quarterback in college for Louisville, from 2008-12. That makes him a fairly young assistant coach, but that youthful power is a brand of Oregon football under Lanning. He comes with knowledge of what is required of a quarterback in an offense. Dante Moore, the projected winner of the Ducks’ QB1 race, has to match up to not one but two victorious predecessors. Nix bowed out from college football in Stein’s debut season as Ducks’ OC with 4,508 yards, 45 TDs, and a completion rate of 77% – all career highs. The same is the case with Dillon Gabriel, who reached the pinnacle of his career in Stein’s offense.
Moore has studied his offense for a full year now, from the sidelines. After Nix and Gabriel’s heroics, will the QB1-hopeful be able to continue Stein’s track record with quarterbacks?
Will Stein on his experience with Oregon’s QB1s
Stein, in his Oregon stint so far, has not worked with a homegrown starting QB yet. Both his NFL-bound Oregon QBs came with heaps of experience with them, already primed to take up the starting job. George Wrighster asked Stein if Nix and Gabriel having that experience helped. “It’s really nice to have [experience], I’ll tell you that much. You know, it really is,” the OC replied. Both Nix and Gabriel came to Oregon in the final year of their college football careers. And yet, Stein remarked, they had the attitude of a player that was fresh into the sport.
“[More] than anything, those guys were growth mindset oriented. They always wanted to get better. They asked as many questions as a rookie or a freshman. That’s what separated Bo and Dillon, is that they were always striving for perfection, knowing that they could catch excellence along the way… [They] were never satisfied. And if they threw a perfect ball, they felt like they could throw it even better. And, and it was my job to get that, get that out of them, you know, on a daily basis,” he added.
Moore, like his predecessors, is also a transfer addition. But he still has a long way to go in his career, and hopefully at Oregon. He is still fighting Luke Moga and Austin Novosad for that coveted spot of the Ducks’ QB1. Will Moore be able to execute another brilliant offense orchestrated by Stein?
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