Dan Lanning on Oregon's QB spot in 2025: 'We gotta figure out what they can handle'

Dan Lanning will start his third quarterback in four seasons as head coach at Oregon in 2025. Following the departure of Dillon Gabriel at the end of last year, the Ducks are immersed in a quarterback battle that is expected to continue into fall camp.

While the future of Oregon’s quarterback battle is uncertain, it’s clear that this season will be the first time since Lanning took the job in 2022 that the Ducks won’t have an experienced veteran under center. Dante Moore and Austin Novosad, who appear to be the frontrunners in the race, are the only two QBs with any playing time at the college level.

“I think what’s really critical is they have to be themselves,” Lanning told ESPN’s Greg McElroy on his show, Always College Football. “But we got to figure out what they can handle. Whether it’s Dante or Austin or Luke (Moga) or whoever’s out there for us at quarterback, each one of them is going to be a little bit different.

“We have to do things so frequently and so often in practice that they become second nature to our players in games. I don’t want to ever be asking to do something on game day that they haven’t already replicated in summer and spring and practice in the fall. We want them to do stuff that’s routine. When you have great players, they’ll make routine plays look like elite plays because they execute it at such a high level.”

Oregon has been lucky to have ready-made starting quarterbacks under center for all of Lanning’s tenure. Gabriel was in his final season of a six year college football career. For the first two seasons, Lanning coached Bo Nix to be an eventual first-round draft pick. He recently led the Denver Broncos to the playoffs during his rookie season.

Lanning won’t be able to coach experience into his young quarterback room. Both Gabriel and Nix had prior experience starting at their previous schools. Dante Moore has the most experience with five starts under his belt. That’s why Lanning is emphasizing the basics this offseason.

“You’ve got to be able to do routine and do it smooth,” Lanning said. “At times, you’ve got to be creative with your feet, and you’ve got to be able to make plays on the move. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make plays on the move and still be a great decision maker for your team. We highlight when guys take easy money and they take advantage of what’s in front of them.”

Oregon’s quarterback battle will be decided by the time the Ducks take the field for their season opener against Montana State on Aug. 30. Lanning’s squad will face Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Oregon State all before beginning conference play — more than enough time for whoever the Ducks QB1 will be to get comfortable in their new role.