When QB coach Koa Ka'ai got in front of the media to answer questions, one of his answers was a combination of funny and pretty interesting.
The University of Oregon has a proud history of quarterback play for their football program. Dating back to a guy like Marcus Mariota, or even more recently, guys like Bo Nix or Dillon Gabriel, more often than not, they have a dude under center.
Their current quarterback, Dante Moore, is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the entire country. Even recently, head coach Dan Lanning gave him glowing remarks regarding his growth of 'mental mastery' in both the offensive system and his ability to read defenses.
While Lanning will work closely with Moore, there may not be any coach in the program who will work closer to Moore than quarterbacks coach Koa Ka'ai.
On Tuesday, Ka'ai gave an answer regarding a tactic he uses to gauge quarterbacks mentally, and while the way he describes it makes sense, it's a pretty interesting way of getting the answers he wants.
What Kind of Ice Cream Do They Like?
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore celebrates the Ducks' victory over James Madison at the end of the game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 20, 2025. © Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesQuarterback coach Koa Ka'ai gave us an insight into his 'evaluation process' when he said that he uses a question about ice cream to discover a quarterback's mental makeup.
Ka'ai said, "I ask them a question like this all the time. 'Hey, do you like chocolate or vanilla ice cream?"
An innocent enough question, but his logic makes sense. He goes on to say, "The moment a kid pauses, I don't want that kid because you need to have some kind of conviction, right, wrong, or indifferent....If you sit there and say, 'Oh, coach, I don't know', what is this kid going to do on third down in front of 110,000? He's probably going to think about it more than he should."
While a question like that doesn't give you the full intel on how a young player processes the game, it at least gives you a hint at worst.
Playing for a school like the University of Oregon will eventually come with those moments down the line. It certainly did for Moore last year.
Despite throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, one of the critiques about Moore was his poor decision-making in big games that often led to tough turnovers.
One thing he was never, however, was indecisive.
If Oregon can combine his confidence in his throws and elite talent with his apparently newfound elite understanding of the offense and defenses presented to him, Moore could be set to have an even better season than he did last year.
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