Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is currently viewed as the second-best quarterback prospect for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and the two talented passers will face off in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Friday at the Peach Bowl.
Ahead of the high-profile matchup, Fox Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Tuesday and explained why he would advise Moore to “go back to school” rather than enter the 2026 draft. The conversation was sparked by draft analyst Todd McShay of The Ringer saying on Monday that Moore should return to school to avoid being drafted by the New York Jets with the No. 2 pick in the draft, if Moore is not viewed as a realistic possibility to go No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Colin Cowherd explained that he thinks the NIL landscape is “great for college football” in terms of the college ranks retaining talent that would otherwise leave for the NFL, to which Klatt agreed.
“That Texas Tech kid who played at Cincinnati (Brendan Sorsby) and Dante Moore, they could both play in the NFL now,” Cowherd said to Klatt. “They’re going to come out with 15 more starts! I mean, you played the position in college. I love this for college football!”
“I do too, and by the way, it’s going to make them better pros,” Klatt began. “This is not just about the money. It’s also about the impact that they’re going to have once they’re NFL players. You and I have talked about this a lot. You look at the best players in the NFL, and in particular the quarterbacks that win in the postseason and ultimately go on to win Super Bowls, you average out their college career, and you’ve got 30-plus starts, a thousand-plus attempts, very experienced guys. In fact, do you know the least experienced quarterback from a college perspective to have won a Super Bowl in the last 25 years is actually Tom Brady? That should tell you everything that you need to know about what you need coming into the league.”
“And obviously fit like you were talking about with the Jets; fit and organization are obviously going to impact that as well,” Klatt said. “But your experience and maturity level is a big factor in that.”
“If Dante Moore called me today, and he said, ‘What should I do?'” Klatt continued. “I wouldn’t blink an eye. I would say go back to school. Because it’s no longer just a financial decision. He can make life-changing money at Oregon, much less the National Football League. And getting extra starts prepares you for what you could potentially have, which is a long NFL career. Because you want to get to the second contract. That’s the one that really matters for you in the National Football League.”
“I wouldn’t blink an eye. I would say go back to school. It’s no longer just a financial decision. He can make life-changing money at Oregon, much less the National Football League.”@colincowherd and @joelklatt discuss Oregon QB Dante Moore’s future pic.twitter.com/8eBFYYuNYe
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 6, 2026
“And we’re starting to see, by the way, in the last couple of years, experience at that position, and experienced teams in general, are the ones that are winning in the (college football) postseason,” Klatt said. “Look at Indiana. They’ve got experience. Look at Ohio State last year. Michigan the year before. Experience at the quarterback position, experience across the line of scrimmage, that’s what’s ultimately winning out right now in college football.”
“(Patrick) Mahomes had a ton of starts,” Klatt elaborated. “Matthew Stafford had a ton of starts. Look what he’s doing. There’s a good chance he’s going to win the MVP. This is not a one or two-year sample size. In the National Football League, this has been a 25-year deal, where we can look and see who is succeeding in the postseason in particular. And that’s why it’s easy to say to a guy like Dante Moore, or a lot of these quarterbacks, stay in school. Stay in school. And now they’re getting paid to do so.”
Moore, 20, began his college career at UCLA in 2023 and started five games (appeared in nine) for the Bruins. He transferred to Oregon ahead of the 2024 season, but he was the backup to Dillon Gabriel and never started a game while throwing a total of eight passes. This season, Moore has started all 14 games and has led the Ducks to a 13-1 record.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.