Dante Moore named to The Maxwell Award watch list

· Yahoo Sports

After opting out of potentially becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and returning to the Oregon Ducks for one more season, it was predictable that quarterback Dante Moore would have an accolade-filled year this fall.

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He's coming off a strong 2025 season, as he was named a third-team All-Big Ten performer after completing nearly 72.0% of his passes for over 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also added two scores with his legs. But all in all, Moore's skills stuck out as being tremendously polished, a stark difference from when the nation had last seen him take the field as a true freshman with the UCLA Bruins.

The accolades are likely to roll in if Moore has the season that he's capable of as a senior, with a significant one being announced on Monday.

Moore has been added to The Maxwell Award watch list, an award given to the best all-around player in college football.

It's not the player with the most outstanding performance throughout the year, the criteria for winning the Heisman Trophy. Instead, The Maxwell Award caters to the entire package, which arguably favors Moore in that many of his throws aren't awe-inspiring or highlight-reel worthy — he just makes them look simple and easy.

Previous winners of The Maxwell Award include Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (2025), Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2024) and a string of passers in Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (2023), USC's Caleb Williams (2022) and Alabama's Bryce Young (2021).

Moore and the Ducks will be front and center for The Maxwell Award voters to see, going head-to-head against other players named to the watch list such as Ohio State's trio of Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson, and USC and Michigan quarterbacks Jayden Maiava and Bryce Underwood, respectively.

With accolades, comes pressure. And Moore is far from afraid of it.

"Yeah, pressure is a privilege," Moore said at Oregon's 2026 media day. "A lot of pressure on this team, but at the end of the day, we kind of put that pressure on ourselves. We've done a great job these past couple years, and we've got to trust in our game plans and trust in Coach Lanning. Of course, we got to follow our our leader, and he does a great job making sure he's preparing us. But at the end of the day, it's just going to keep being more and more pressure in my life. So, got to embrace it."

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore named to The Maxwell Award watch list

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