Oregon’s offense is getting more than another year of experience from Dante Moore and Dierre Hill Jr. It’s getting a deeper level of trust.
Ahead of No. 2 Oregon’s Week 1 game against Boise State, Hill made it clear the part of his game he’s most eager to show off is pass protection. That’s the area the Ducks have pushed him hardest to clean up, and it’s become a major offseason talking point for both the running back and his quarterback.
“I didn't have to block as much in high school. I really got to fall a lot, where I was running a route.
I never really had to pass pro a real for real a lot of the times. But coming here, coach Samp seeing that was the issue off the rip,” Hill said.
For Moore, that growth matters just as much as Hill’s explosiveness with the ball in his hands. The quarterback said Hill has spent the offseason studying how veterans handled the job, including film work from last season and from Noah Whittington.
“He knew I could run, but pass protection is everything. I can't be out there if I can't be trusted to protect our guy, our number one guy, which is Dante,” Moore added.
“He has to be protected at all costs. Just going into it, it's really just a lot of technical things.
The physicality part's not really an issue.”
Moore also said Hill has approached the work with the right mindset.
“Dierre's done a great job, and it's just been watching the film of last year, watching the film of Noah (Whittington) from last year, just all these vets that have done it at a high level and he's done a great job just really appreciating it and taking it serious,” Moore said.
“He's always making sure every time we go out there and take the field, he's like, ‘I got your back, I'm going to protect you.’ And as a quarterback, you've got to love that,” he continued. “I think that room has done a great job just making sure that's something they emphasize, and they've been doing a great job."
Hill’s production already gave Oregon plenty to work with in 2025. He finished with 656 rushing yards on 75 carries and added 16 catches for 137 yards. He also scored six total touchdowns and turned heads with big plays in ranked games against Penn State and James Madison.
That kind of speed and playmaking is part of the package. But Oregon’s staff has been just as focused on what happens when Hill doesn’t have the ball, because that’s the kind of detail work Dan Lanning and the offensive staff believe helps push a program forward.
Hill, in turn, had strong words for the way Moore has grown this offseason.
“Coming in my freshman year, Dante was more so quiet … But coming into the second year, Dante has been more of a huge vocal leader for us. He knows he's the guy,” Hill said.
“He knows he's our quarterback, and you know it starts with him … Him staying dialed in and focused on the next play helps the whole offense stay on it, focus on the next play because when we see (Dante) doing the right things and we see (Dante) handling the situation well, we have no choice but to do the same,” Hill added. "I mean, that's our quarterback.”
Moore is heading into his redshirt junior year after passing on a chance to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. His college path has taken him from UCLA, where he spent his true freshman season, to Oregon ahead of the 2024 season.
He redshirted in 2024 behind Dillon Gabriel, then took over as the Ducks’ starter last season. Now, with a full season in the role behind him and a third year in the Oregon system ahead of him, Moore looks settled into the leadership spot this offense has asked him to fill.
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