Spring Position Preview: Ducks’ QB room brings new look, high ceiling into 2024 season
After a couple of long off-season months, the grass is starting to grow and trees are getting ready to bloom. Spring is coming in Eugene, and with it comes the long-awaited return of football for the Oregon Ducks. A lot will look different in this new year for Dan Lanning and his team, with several of last year’s top players moving onto the NFL, including guys like Bo Nix, Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Brandon Dorlus. All of that is not to mention the fact that the Ducks are joining the Big Ten, and have a new-look conference to get used to on top of a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff to strive for.
It’s safe to say that there are a lot of things to talk about going into this spring season, and a lot of storylines to discuss. To get things started, we want to give a position-by-position breakdown of Oregon’s current roster, getting readers up to date on which players left, which players are returning, and what the overall outlook is going into the spring. We will start with the quarterbacks.
When one of the best quarterbacks in the history of college football walks out the door, it’s safe to say that there are big shoes to fill for the next guy stepping up. In 2023, Bo Nix set the college football record for the best completion percentage in the history of the sport, leading the Ducks to a victory in the Fiesta Bowl after finishing third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Nix is now off to the NFL, where he is projected to be a first-round pick. While Oregon has a lot of production to fill at the QB spot, they did a great job of finding potential difference-makers in the transfer portal at the position, bringing in both Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore to compete for the top spot.
There are also another couple of names to know on the depth chart in the QB room. Here’s a full breakdown of the passers currently on the roster in Eugene.
Player Departure: Bo Nix (NFL)
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
Career Stats: 15,352 yards, 113 TDs, 26 INTs
The Oregon Ducks have a long history of elite quarterbacks to come through Eugene, so it’s not fair to say that Nix was the best QB the team has ever had to replace, though he is up there among the most productive. Nix brought unmatched experience with him from Auburn, and he acted as another coach on the field for the Ducks over the past two years. Replacing not only his talent and production on the field will be tough, but Oregon is going to have to find someone who can bring the level of sound decision-making to the table as well.
Player Departure: Ty Thompson (Tulane)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Career Stats: 456 yards, 6 TDs, 4 INTs
After three seasons in Eugene were spent as a backup to either Anthony Brown or Bo Nix, it was clear that Ty Thompson needed to find a new team after the Ducks landed a commitment from Dillon Gabriel in the transfer portal last December. Thompson — a former high-end 4-star recruit — landed at Tulane, where he will look to establish himself as a starter at long last. He showed flashes of really high-level quarterback play in his limited action in Eugene, and handled things the right way over the years, sticking around and competing rather than jumping ship when things got tough. It’s not hard to say that there is a huge swath of Oregon fans who are wishing for nothing but success for Thompson going forward.
Transfer Additions: Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma)
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Career Stats: 14,865 yards, 125 TDs, 26 INTs
It’s hard to do better in the transfer portal than Oregon did this offseason, landing not just one, but two of the top five available passers to build out their QB room. Dillon Gabriel is already one of the most experienced players in the nation, having played for five years between UCF and Oklahoma, and he’s looking for one final stellar season before jumping to the NFL. With his strong arm, mobility, and unique playmaking ability, this lefty appears to be a perfect fit for what Will Stein and Dan Lanning want to do in Eugene. Going into the spring, he is already one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
Transfer Additions: Dante Moore (UCLA)
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Career Stats: 1,610 yards, 11 TDs, 9 INTs
It makes sense that Dante Moore ended up in Eugene at long last, doesn’t it? The former 5-star recruit was one of the highest-ranked players to ever commit to the Ducks, but ended up flipping to UCLA before signing with the Bruins. His freshman year didn’t exactly go as planned under Chip Kelly. Moore hit the portal this offseason and chose the Ducks once again. While it is widely believed that he will take a backseat to Gabriel and opt to develop for a year before taking over the reins in 2025, I won’t be surprised if Moore pushes the Oklahoma transfer a bit for that starting job this offseason. We know that he has an immense amount of talent and a strong competitive drive. Who’s to say he can’t win the starting job?
Returning Players: Austin Novosad
Career Stats: 52 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
Former Recruiting Profile: No. 133 player, No. 11 QB in 2023 Class
Austin Novosad was the third fiddle last year behind both Nix and Thompson, so it comes as no surprise that he didn’t see much time on the field. However, his response to Gabriel and Moore’s arrival in Eugene via the transfer portal was encouraging. Before Oregon’s bowl game, Novosad was asked about his future and whether or not he would consider transferring since his path to the starting spot is now more complicated, and he responded that he intended to stick around and compete, hoping to rise up the depth chart in Eugene. It won’t be easy for the redshirt freshman, but you have to admire his willingness to stick it out and do things the right way rather than jumping ship.
Incoming Freshmen: Luke Moga
Photo Courtesy of Luke Moga
Former Recruiting Profile: No. 514 player, No. 33 QB in 2024 Class
Luke Moga is a classic case of a player where you should trust the coaches and not the recruiting rankings. While Moga is rated as just a 3-star prospect from Arizona, Will Stein and the Oregon offensive coaching staff is very high on this blazing-fast passer who excelled at track in high school and seemingly has a high upside in Eugene. Don’t expect him to see the field at all in 2024, but certainly pay attention when he gets some reps in the spring game this year.
Biggest Storylines: Can Dante Moore Push for QB1 Spot?
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I talked about this a little bit already when discussing the addition of Dante Moore, but one of the biggest storylines I want to follow this spring is at the quarterback position, where both Moore and Dillon Gabriel will be competing for the starting quarterback spot.
While Gabriel has more experience, we know that Moore is no slouch, and he brings an incredibly high ceiling to Eugene. I can’t wait to watch them both sling it in practice and the spring game, and see how big the gap between the two really is. At this point, it feels like fans and media members are prematurely giving the QB1 spot to Gabriel, and I understand why; he is a Heisman favorite for a reason. However, I can’t say I would be shocked if Moore made this a tough decision on the coaching staff. He’s got the talent, and now with the right coaching in an explosive offense, the sky could be the limit in 2024 for the former 5-star.
Biggest Storylines: Can Austin Novosad and Luke Moga Establish Depth?
The Ducks are in as good of a position as any team in the nation when it comes to a solidified quarterback room at the top, with both Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore possessing the ability to start and be highly successful. Beyond that, though, there are certainly some question marks. We’ve see a little bit of what Austin Novosad could do last year, but nothing substantial, and Luke Moga is an unproven true freshman who was not highly rated. It’s safe to say that both passers need to put some reps on tape and show off their abilities this spring. If neither pops, it won’t exactly be detrimental for the Ducks, but it could greatly impact the QB room going forward when it comes to recruiting.
Overall Position Outlook
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Few QB rooms in the nation are stronger than the Oregon Ducks at this point. Whoever is named the starter will be among the best passers in the Big Ten Conference, and potentially in the nation. Behind him, the named QB2 will undoubtedly be among the best backups in the nation as well. There are the questions about depth behind Gabriel and Moore that I mentioned above, but those are things that should be unknown at this point in the season. Looking ahead, the Ducks also already have a commitment from an Oregon legacy player in the 2025 class: 4-star Akili Smith Jr., the No. 77 player and No. 6 QB in the nation.
It’s safe to say that when it comes to the quarterback position, the Ducks are in a fantastic position.
