The University of Oregon is prepping for a potentially monstrous season coming up.

With quarterback Dante Moore coming back into the fold, it turns the Ducks not into just contenders, but legitimate threats for the crown of college football.

Moore was predicted to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, but after careful consideration, decided to stay in Eugene.

It was hard to find a better quarterback in college football than Moore, with his 72% completion and 30 touchdowns. With the help of first round tight end Kenyon Sadiq and one of the better run games in the nation, Oregon’s offense was run like a well-oiled machine.

Outside of Moore, three contributors in particular stand out in order to turn this well-oiled machine into a champion. Two of them line up beside him.

Given that Sadiq went onto the NFL, the biggest question mark will be surrounding Evan Stewart.

The hype train was loud for Stewart, when he decided to leave Texas A&M and come over to Oregon in 2024, but after a full season, Stewart posted adequate numbers.

Let’s be clear here, there’s nothing wrong with adequate.

Teams around the country yearn for a serviceable receiver who can post over 600 yards at 13 yards per catch. But Stewart was supposed to be more than that. 

In his first season at Oregon, those adequate numbers were nearly identical to his freshman year at Texas A&M. And many had hoped for a resurgence in 2025.

Then, the first day of summer workouts happened.

Stewart tore his patellar tendon, forcing him to miss the entirety of the 2025 season.

Now that he’s back, the hype train he came to Eugene with, is back in full force. 

Coach Dan Lanning said in spring camp that it was Stewart’s best spring since he was in Eugene. The next step is to get back on the Autzen gridiron.

You want to talk about big plays? Look no further than Dakorien Moore.

There was a reason why he was the top freshman in his class. He has such an explosive style, with an incredible ability to separate himself from defensive backs.

Dakorien missed a few games due to injury, but beyond that, he had an above-average freshman season according to Thomas Cicansky of SB Nation.

As skilled as he is, this season will be a major barometer on if he can make a Jaylen Waddle-type of impact, or Zacahariah Branch.

Branch was more than capable while at the University of Georgia, but as a former top receiver in his class, Branch’s impact was no more than a slot-receiver.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But when Oregon signed Dakorien, it expected him to be elite. Building off his freshman season will only separate him from the pack.

A’Mauri Washington will be the critical piece in the trenches.

But not only that, Oregon’s defense will need to be better this season in order to be a legitimate threat. 

The Ducks were able to come out victorious against every team they played against, except for one.

The National Champion Indiana Hoosiers.

For whatever reason, Lanning and the Ducks could not figure out Curt Cignetti’s team. Which is why it’s so important to have a dog in the trenches like Washington.

He led all defensive tackles on the team in pressure, but there was a lot of room to grow. Washington recorded a 69.3 pressure grade on PFF.

Conversely, against the run, there was no one better than Washington, with an 83.8 grade on PFF, with 35 total tackles. 

Given how last season came about, it’s clear that the Ducks are good enough to make some serious noise in college football.

But it’s all about answering to the champs, which they couldn’t do twice last season.

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