Dante Moore launches Heisman campaign in copy of Bo Nix strategy as $3m QB looks to get jump on rivals

The Oregon Ducks have wasted no time in beginning their Heisman Trophy campaign for Dante Moore.

The 21-year-old quarterback opted to return to Eugene for the 2026 college football season, despite being eligible to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, where he was projected to be a first-round pick.

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“After that last game playing down there in the Peach Bowl, seeing the tears on my teammates’ faces, it kind of felt like that couldn’t be my last journey with them,” Moore said earlier in June, referring to the Ducks’ Peach Bowl defeat to the eventual National Championship winners Indiana Hoosiers.

Moore – who has the fifth-highest NIL valuation in the sport at a whopping $3 million – isn’t the first Oregon signal caller to forego the NFL Draft and return back to college, and he likely won’t be the last.

Both Justin Herbert and Bo Nix opted to play a second season in front of the Autzen faithful, and each saw their draft stock increase.

Herbert would go on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, while Nix was taken by the Denver Broncos with the 12th overall pick in 2024.

Moore may have those success stories in the back of his mind as he returns for his third season wearing the green jersey, after beginning his collegiate career at UCLA.

The Ducks certainly believe in their quarterback.

With a small group of players heading to Tokyo, Japan for the inaugural Tokyo Oregon Football Showcase, an event which will celebrate the historical connection between Oregon and Japanese American Football, the team took out multiple billboards showcasing their star player.

“Yes, there’s Moore!” the billboard in Kabukichō, Shinjuku read.

But this isn’t the first time that the Ducks have gone all out to promote their quarterback, though they have never before done it internationally.

Back in 2023, when Nix had favorable odds to win the Heisman Trophy, Oregon plastered billboards across New York and Dallas using the coined slogan “Bo-Dacious.”

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That season, Nix went on to throw for 4,508 passing yards and 45 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

He wound up finishing third in Heisman voting, behind winner Jayden Daniels and runner-up Michael Penix Jr.

If you cast all the way back to 2001, Oregon also launched a marketing campaign for Joey Harrington, using the nickname ‘Joey Heisman’.

Like Nix, Harrington finished as one of the finalists, though lost out on the main award to Nebraska’s Eric Crouch and finished in fourth place.

Moore, on the other hand, has a real chance to be named the winner, and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions.

He is deemed one of the favorites to be named the recipient of college football’s highest honor, though faces tough competition from Texas‘ Arch Manning – college football’s highest NIL earner – new LSU recruit Sam Leavitt and Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

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But first, the 21-year-old will represent his school in Japan.

“The opportunity to represent the University of Oregon in Tokyo is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said in a press release.

“Football has taken all of us to incredible places, and it will be special to connect with players and coaches who love this game as much as we do.

“We are excited to share how we approach the game and to be part of something that’s much bigger than one trip.”

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