Dante Moore made the decision on Jan. 14 that he was going to stay at the University of Oregon instead of declaring for the NFL Draft. Just two days before that decision, Dylan Raiola committed to Oregon after entering the transfer portal from University of Nebraska.

“I decided before Dante decided. It was just a total buy-in of the program and Oregon as a whole,” Raiola said. “I was very excited to have the opportunity to learn from a number-one-draft-pick-caliber guy.”

Raiola had been pursued by Oregon when he was coming out of high school. When he went through the recruitment process, he visited Oregon and talked to many individuals who are still involved with the program today.

But where things change for Raiola is the depth chart. He was the starting quarterback at Nebraska for the two years he was there and made a huge leap in on-field production. In 2025, the Hawaiian quarterback threw for 2,000 yards on the dot, 18 touchdowns to six interceptions and Nebraska finished 7-6. 

In 2024, the passing yards were up from 2,000 at 2,819; he had a completion percentage of 67.1% on 410 attempts (up from his 250 attempts in 2025), but the touchdown to interception ratio was worse as he finished the season with 13 and the interceptions went up to 11. 

Though it should be noted that he played in only nine games in 2025 after he broke his leg against USC on Nov. 1.

“I’m trying to just maximize this year on everything. Getting healthy, getting back to a place where I know I can play, and compete and do all the things that I love doing,” Raiola said. “Being able to learn as a leader, learn from coach Lanning, learn from (quarterbacks) Coach Koa (Ka’ai) and Dante and all the fellas here.”

That is what Raiola is here to do this season. He is going to be a better, more solid and developed backup quarterback than the Ducks had last season in Brock Thomas, and he is going to be taking this year as a chance to grow and a chance to learn — much like Moore did under Dillon Gabriel.

Moore is undoubtedly the starter of this Ducks team. After the great season he put up last year, and getting the Ducks to the semifinals — despite the eventual loss to the CFB champions Indiana — there should be no rational reason to believe that Moore will have a true competition in the offseason against Raiola. 

This year for Moore, it’s about getting things under control, getting his mind right and getting into the NFL Draft next season as a more complete package than he was going into the draft the season before.

Moore is taking on more of that leadership position in the quarterback room this season. With Raiola coming in looking to learn, Akili Smith Jr. (nicknamed KJ) as a redshirt freshman, who is going to benefit from a veteran leader, and the rest of the room reaping those benefits, the ability for Moore to mentor those in the room will aid both his game and those around him. 

Going through the draft process also helped Moore develop into a more rounded prospect because of those he was able to have conversations with during the process.

“So I met him (Tom Brady); we talked (a lot) about leadership. I got the chance to talk with Drew Brees as well and Sean Payton out there. We talked a lot of football,” he said. 

But what separates this quarterback room from those across the Big Ten is the level of experience. Moore and Raiola are big names, and to be followed up by Thomas, who saw Big Ten play last year and did not back down, shows the level of quarterback talent teams dream about. 

“I think the whole room in general is pretty mature beyond its years,” Ka’ai said.

The rest of the quarterback room consists of Smith, Thomas, Ryder Hayes and Mark Wiepert. Of those, Thomas is the most likely to see the field this season. He will also most likely be seeing more time, given Raiola is coming off the broken leg from last season. 

The first time fans will be able to see this quarterback room in action is during the annual Spring Game on April 25 at 1 p.m. in Autzen Stadium. The game will be broadcast via the Big Ten Network (video) and KWVA (radio).