Dante Moore appears to be an upcoming superstar under center for Oregon. Following Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, Moore has been showing why his name deserves to be right alongside theirs. By year’s end, Moore has the opportunity to surpass Nix and Gabriel and join an elite club in Oregon history if he can win the trophy that has been eluding Oregon since 2014: The Heisman Trophy. 

The 20-year-old is going to need a set of very strong games against the ranked play that Oregon has left on the season, but it all needs to start against highly ranked Penn State. At No. 3, Penn State will be the first true battle for Moore and the Ducks in 2025. Not only will it be taking place in Happy Valley, but it will also be Penn State’s infamous “white-out” game. Heisman winners are not only best in the game, but they often carry a “Heisman moment:” a moment that fans can look back at and know that’s what decided a Heisman winner. Leading Oregon into Happy Valley, driving down the field the same way Oregon fans have seen early in the season, commanding the offense and staying calm when faced with 106,572 fans in a sea of white, this game has the opportunity to be Moore’s Heisman moment. 

Moore has been firing on all cylinders to start his 2025 campaign and he has seamlessly taken control of the Ducks offense. Moore has been showing off his decision making skills and his rocket arm as he has guided the Ducks to a 4-0 start. He’s proved there’s no lull in dominance since Dillon Gabriel left for the NFL. 

Moore, after throwing for 305 yards against Oregon State, has thrown for 962 yards on the season; but he’s also been using his legs too. Moore has great presence in the pocket, does not try to rush anything and can recognize when he should break off a run. 

“Dante’s done what we’ve seen him do a lot this year: take what’s there,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “That’s good decision making at quarterback…maturity of not forcing something that’s not there.” 

Of the Heisman front runners, Moore is both the youngest, at just 20 years old, and also has the least number of career games under his belt at 18. While there is no limit to how old you have to be or how much experience you need to have to win the Heisman, it will be difficult as the other front runners are University of Miami’s Carson Beck, who left the University of Georgia after four years, and University of Oklahoma’s John Mateer, who just came from Washington State University.

Of the top three front runners, Moore is last in all passing categories, but he does have Beck beat in rushing yards. Mateer, however, is crushing both Moore and Beck in passing and rushing with over 1200 passing yards and close to 200 rushing yards going into Week 5.

With the competition in the 2025 Heisman campaign, it begs the question: What can the Oregon field general do to truly solidify his name in the Heisman push? For Moore, the game that could be his turning point in the Heisman race is against Penn State.

For an individual performance, if Moore can replicate his Week 4 performance, where he threw for over 300 yards, had no interceptions and marched the Oregon offense to a thrilling 41-7 win over Oregon State, that would be ideal. As the leader of the Ducks offensive, if he can guide the Ducks to their fourth game with over 300 total-yards, that would be the first game Penn State gives up over 300 yards in a game in 2025.  

Replicating Moore’s Week 4 performance will be difficult against a stacked Penn State. An ideal game that would push him into phenomenal Heisman contention would end with Moore showing that the big moment does not rattle him: maybe that’s ripping off over 200 passing yards, commanding Oregon to an over 300 yard day or maybe a measly 100-yard performance — as long as the Ducks win, he’ll help his case.