Dakorien Moore didn’t need a long pitch to understand Dan Lanning. One play was enough.
When the Oregon receiver explains why he ended up in Eugene, he goes straight to the moment that sold him on the Ducks’ head coach: a surprise onside kick against a top-10 opponent. Lanning’s willingness to gamble left a mark on Moore during the recruitment process, and it became the kind of detail that stuck.
“The reason that I came here in the first place. I see him taking risks,” Moore said of Lanning.
That edge has followed Lanning through his Oregon tenure. The Ducks have pulled off surprise onside kicks before, including one against No.
9 UCLA in 2022, another that ricocheted off an Ohio State player when the Buckeyes were ranked No. 2, and the opening-possession steal against Wisconsin in 2025. Moore saw the creativity early and knew he wanted in.
“Once I seen that, I was like, yeah, this is the guy I want to play for,” Moore said.
Now a sophomore and the nation’s No. 1 ranked receiver in the 2025 class, Moore sees that same unpredictability every day at practice. In his view, Lanning is always hunting for the next move that can tilt a game.
“Every situation, he’s coming up with something to change the game, and that’s what I love about him,” Moore told Oregon Ducks On SI during an interview through his partnership with Oikos.
But it’s not just the aggressive game management that has stood out to Moore. In his second season with Lanning, he has also grown to appreciate the time the coach spends building real connections away from football. The hikes, bowling trips and Duck Olympics have helped bring the group closer together.
“We just like find ways to gain connection with one another... just makes (Lanning) special,” Moore said.
Bowling, apparently, came with a healthy dose of trash talk.
“I don’t remember if he bowled or if he was just talking stuff the whole time,” Moore said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just talking stuff the whole time.”
That kind of competitive noise shows up in practice, too. Moore said Lanning lets the losing side hear it.
"Yes, he's definitely talking stuff the whole time," Moore said of Lanning. "Who’s ever, you know, doing better at the time, he’s going to talk stuff to the other side, telling them that, you know, they’re not good."
Moore had no trouble adjusting to Lanning’s style. Oregon’s winter, on the other hand, was a different story.
The Duncanville, Texas native arrived as an early enrollee and immediately got hit with the weather warnings he had heard all through recruitment. At first, he didn’t quite buy it.
“Everybody would tell me, like, oh, you ready? You ready for that cold weather?
You ready for this?” Moore said.
“I’m like, I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”
Then the snow showed up, and that changed his outlook fast. Moore said he did not go out to play in it during that first winter. Football in the cold was another matter.
This season has put Oregon in a tougher spot. The Ducks are 4-3 after losses to Oklahoma State, UCLA and Illinois, and starting quarterback Dante Moore is expected to miss the rest of the season. Oregon also moved on from offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, with offensive analyst Jay Johnson taking over play-calling duties.
Even with the uncertainty, Dakorien Moore has been one of the bright spots. He has become Oregon’s leading receiver, putting together 34 catches for 417 yards and four touchdowns through seven games.
That already matches his freshman reception total and tops the three receiving touchdowns he had last year. His 16 catches over the last two games lead the Big Ten in that span.
For Moore, the biggest difference from his first season has been how he carries himself when things get messy.
"I feel like now I’m more prepared, more aware of situations. I know how to handle myself in certain situations,” Moore said.
“I don’t really act the same in certain situations. Kind of just being a pro in most situations, I would say.”
What keeps him going is simpler than the record, the rankings or the turbulence around him.
“Just being that I’ll get the opportunity to go out there and play football is motivating me itself,” Moore said. “I grew up playing this game.
We always say it’s a child’s game. Go out there, have fun, just let loose.
So that’s what I pride myself on every time I step on the field.”
With five regular-season games left, Moore sent a message to Oregon fans about what comes next.
"Expect more explosive plays, expect more wins, and just expect to turn up with us on the sidelines, man," Dakorien said.
His attention to growth doesn’t stop with route-running and catches. Moore also leans into strength, conditioning and nutrition, and he says his game-day routine includes plenty of high-protein yogurt. Through his partnership with Oikos, he was named to the brand’s first-ever All-Strength Team alongside Derrick Henry, a player he grew up watching.
“It feels amazing, especially being that he was one of the guys I grew up, you know, watching,” Moore said.
Oregon’s next chance comes on Halloween, when the Ducks host No. 20 Northwestern at Autzen Stadium.
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Oregon's Offense Just Got Needed Help As Bigger Absences Loom
The offense got a welcome lift this week with three wide receivers who sat out against Illinois now expected back for the trip to Northwestern. Evan Stewart, Jalen Lott and Messiah Hampton all give Oregon more options on the perimeter at a time when the Ducks have needed them, especially with Jeremiah McClellan still sidelined by a foot injury.
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Northwesterns base 4-2-5 is anchored by an aggressive front seven and a secondary that can hold its own, with safety Robert Fitzgerald, linebacker Braydon Brus and cornerback Ore Adeyi giving the back end some real presence. For Dylan Raiola and Oregon, the challenge is finding the soft spots before that pressure tightens the game up, especially against a defense that has a clear identity and plenty of confidence in it. [Read more 🡒]