When it comes to quarterbacks at the University of Oregon, there's a certain mold that has seemed to work over the years. Jeremiah Masoli, Darron Thomas, and Marcus Mariota could get the job done with their legs, as could Vernon Adams, Justin Herbert, and Anthony Brown. In the newest era of Oregon's offense under OC Will Stein, Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel also used their legs when they needed to.
It's safe to say that the ability to run is almost a prerequisite for Oregon QBs, but that might change in the 2025 season.
With Gabriel off to the NFL, it will be either Dante Moore or Austin Novosad as the starter this year. This isn't to say that neither player can run, but it may be a stretch to classify them as "dual-threat" quarterbacks. During his one season as a starter at UCLA, Moore officially logged 45 rushing attempts for -84 yards, with 16 of those marked as sacks. In his limited action with the Ducks in 2024, Moore rushed once for six yards.
As for Novosad, the former 4-star QB has not logged a single rushing attempt in his six games with the Ducks. While he was a track sprinter in high school, the Dripping Springs product rarely used that speed on the field. This led 247Sports scout Gabe Brooks to say this about Novosad coming out of high school: "Was not asked to run much in high school, but still can translate multi-sport athleticism better to QB position when required to run."
Going from a dual-threat QB like Nix or Gabriel to a pocket-passer like Moore or Novosad will certainly be a transition for Stein to make, but it's one that he's ready for.
"We're still in the early stages of figuring that out," Stein said after Oregon's second spring practice. "It's really just base install these first two days. I've had Hudson Card at Lake Travis, who was a dual-threat kid. I had Frank Harris at UTSA, who was dual-threat. Bo could run as well and Dillon. They've all been different, but to me they've all been uber-competitive and been to distribute the football and be high completion percentage guys."
What many fans are hoping Moore or Novosad can bring to the table is an elevated passing ability, delivering dimes from the pocket with elite arm strength. With receivers like Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore streaking downfield, a pocket-passer may be just what Oregon's offense needs to open things up beyond the short and intermediate passing game that we've seen over the past two years.
Beyond that, Stein is confident his new QB will have the key attribute that he always looks for in a quarterback: More than the ability to throw or run, it's the ability to win that matters most.
"That's the ultimate thing I'm looking for, who can we win with?" Stein said. "Hopefully we've got a good amount of guys in that room who can win. We all know that there is going ...
