Losing a starting quarterback is likely a death sentence for any college football team. For example, last season’s Florida State Seminoles’ season quickly imploded after quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending leg injury. The Seminoles went from National Title hopeful to College Football Playoff rejectee in one play, culminating with a 63-3 loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
While the Oregon Ducks would love to keep the Heisman frontrunner Dillon Gabriel upright all season… Here is a case that Oregon will be in great hands if they have to test the depth of the quarterback room. Out of all the magic Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning worked this offseason in the portal and on the recruiting trail, signing transfer quarterback Dante Moore may have been his biggest get.
Moore was a heralded five-star recruit from Detroit, Michigan. The No. 4 overall recruit from 247Sports 2023 recruiting class was committed to Oregon up until the very end. UCLA pried Moore away, presumably with playing time promises that Oregon couldn’t offer to him as a freshman.
Moore wasn’t the full-time starter, but appeared in nine games for the Bruins in 2023. His freshman struggles forced then UCLA coach Chip Kelly to play musical chairs at the quarterback position throughout the season. Moore finished the year with 1,610 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
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Oct 21, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Dante Moore (3) warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Following his up-and-down freshman year, Moore decided to enter the transfer portal. Even after sixth-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel joined Oregon, Moore did what he wouldn’t do out of high school: commit to the Ducks despite staring at a backup role.
Did Moore’s struggles in Westwood make him realize he needed a year to learn and develop? Did Oregon offer him enough NIL money to embrace his new role? It’s unclear why the quarterback took his talents to Eugene this time around. What is clear, however, is that the Ducks will be in good hands if he’s needed this season.
Oregon may have its best backup quarterback ever in Moore. Had he committed to the Ducks out of high school, he would have been one of the highest-rated recruits in school history. I don’t think that freshman-year struggles should change the narrative on him. Playing the position as a freshman, in a talented Pac-12 Conference, often with inferior talent surrounding him, is an extreme challenge for anyone.
Now, Moore gets a fresh start in Eugene and can learn from a sixth-year quarterback in Dillon Gabriel and his offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach, Will Stein. He can do it all without the urgency of starting day one.
“Overall, going through fall camp, I’m way more comfortable,” said Moore, “Checking calls, checking protections — I’m just feeling more comfortable from what Coach Stein has taught us.”
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“He’s still learning and growing in our system,” Stein said.”But he’s at a point now where I feel really good about his progress.”
Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix began his career in similar fashion as Moore. Like Moore, Nix was a 5-star recruit thrust into action right away against elite competition and faced some struggles at Auburn. Nix blossomed as a Duck to become a Heisman Trophy finalist and NFL first round draft pick. Moore certainly has enough talent to duplicate that level of success.
Oregon may have secured its long-term quarterback of the future and the most talented backup quarterback it has ever had in Moore.
MORE: Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Game Time Released, Prime Time Big Ten Matchup
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PORTLAND, Ore. — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.
Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims’ family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023.
Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims’ bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys declined to comment.
Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.
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Jose Real, Ashley Real’s father, was in tears as he spoke with reporters after the hearing. He recalled memories of watching her grow up and playing with her brother.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Masciell Real, Ashley’s sister, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Relatives of other victims were also present.
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“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home, saying she had been choked by Calhoun. She had marks on her throat, he said, and he took her to a hospital.
Real said at the time that an initial police report was taken but that the case was then transferred to a different jurisdiction and it was difficult to reach those overseeing it. Details of the attack were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
His daughter’s body was found in May 2023 by a man who was fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and then indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the other four women’s deaths. The initial indictment came weeks before Calhoun was due to be released from state prison, where he was returned in 2023 to finish serving a four-year term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges.
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He was initially released in 2021, a year early, because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in the deaths.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
