Talent Tracker: Dante Moore vs. Fernando Mendoza is QB duel between a 5-star baller and a former Yale commit

No. 3 Oregon's tilt with No. 7 Indiana on Saturday not only features two College Football Playoff contenders, but two potential first-round picks at quarterback in Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza taking the field (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS and Paramount+). 

On the surface, Moore and Mendoza appear to be pretty similar: a pair of transfers with starting experience at previous schools that can make high-level throws in high-pressure situations. But the path to the No. 1 spot in the most recent round of NFL mock drafts at CBS Sports for Moore and Mendoza couldn't be any different.

Moore is the prototype. A former five-star quarterback that everyone in the country wanted. Mendoza is the late-bloomer that was headed to play Ivy League football before a last-second call from Cal. Together the two represent just how hard it can be to project success at the game's most important position. Sometimes it's easy. Other times it's not. 

The Dante Moore files: 5-star prodigy

Before Moore even threw a varsity pass at Detroit's Martin Luther King, he reported a verbal scholarship offer from Michigan. After making a Division II title game appearance freshman, the list of potential suitors grew to double digits.

Many assumed that the in-state Wolverines were always going to be hard to beat for Moore, but by the end of his junior year a two-team battle had emerged between Oregon and LSU. Moore ended up picking the Ducks live on SportsCenter in June of 2023. 

For a while, it looked like Dan Lanning had his arm of the future, but once offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham left to take the head coaching job at Arizona State, a confused Moore began to explore his options. He settled on UCLA, a school he claims he initiated contact with in the weeks leading up to Signing Day.

The marriage between Moore and the Chip Kelly-led Bruins always seemed a bit rushed, but there was no denying the talent and what Moore could be at some point down the line with his clean mechanics and advanced field vision. 

A few weeks after Moore inked with UCLA, he was named MVP of the annual All-American Bowl after he completed 14 of 19 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns.

"If you don't know the name Dante Moore, it's time to get familiar," the Talent Tracker wrote from the Alamo Dome's press box.

It has taken a little longer than expected for that statement to ring true as Moore lasted less than a year in Westwood before smartly transferring to Oregon to learn behind Dillon Gabriel, but there's a reason why Moore finished ahead of Kadyn Proctor, Caleb Downs, Francis Maugioa and so many other future pros at No. 4 overall in the Top247 rankings, and that's because he looked like a potential difference-maker from the jump.

The Fernando Mendoza files: Major sleeper

The summer before Mendoza's senior year at Miami Columbus, he attended camps at Alabama, Clemson, Miami, LSU and South Carolina. None of them offered him a scholarship. Neither did nearby FAU.

After mulling over a few FCS options, Mendoza committed to Yale in August of 2021. The Talent Tracker actually attended the first game of his final prep campaign against future FSU quarterback signee Luke Kromenhoek. It wasn't anything special. Neither was the meeting a few weeks later against a loaded Chaminade-Madonna Prep defense where Mendoza completed just three pass attempts. 

But Mendoza got better and better as the season progressed and carried his team all the way to the state semifinals in Florida's highest classification. Mendoza moved from a two-star to three-star prospect in the final rankings update because of his play, but we still thought he was a little too robotic at times and didn't see him ever developing into a high-volume passer.

However, the folks at Cal did. After the Golden Bears lost a pledge from four-star quarterback Justyn Martin, the staff explored options around the country. They landed on Mendoza, who was still available following the Early Signing Period because Ivy League schools don't use National Letters of Intent.

Mendoza ended up flipping his pledge from Yale to Cal the night before February's Signing Day after flying out to Berkeley for an official visit. Almost two years later, he became one of the most coveted signal-callers in the transfer portal after starting 19 games for the Golden Bears.

It would be easy to claim there were still some signs that Mendoza could become the player he is today. The 6-foot-5 frame and the high IQ were certainly notable. But not many saw it with Mendoza and his rise is a testament to both his attitude and attention to detail.

Moore vs. Mendoza: Who ya got?

Saturday in Eugene may indeed be a battle of two players who will jockey next spring for No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. To the victors will not go those spoils; NFL front offices aren't making franchise-altering decisions based on a Saturday in October -- and by the way, they've faced off before!

Tale of the Tape: No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 7 Indiana -- who has the edge in Eugene?

Cooper Petagna

But it should be a ton of fun and could make an impact in the Heisman race. We polled a few of the player personnel experts at CBS Sports the following three prompts (my answers are in itals):

Q1. Who would you draft No. 1 overall today?

The easy answer is Moore. Do not get me wrong, Fernando Mendoza's rise has been remarkable, but having watched both these guys since they were in high school, I got to go with Moore. He's a smooth operator and has been since he first emerged on the national recruiting scene as a 9th grader. He's a bit of a perfectionist and extremely calculated. Mendoza has some of that, too. He can just play a little too tight at times for me.

Q2. Who would you want as your QB the rest of this season?

Moore. It's funny. He came into the season kind of as the forgotten guy after what many would describe as a rough rookie campaign at UCLA. I actually thought he made some high-level throws in that loss to Utah two years ago. Moore has delivered when the pressure has been the highest -- MVP for 247Sports at the Elite 11 Finals, MVP of the All-American Bowl, and a win at Penn State during a White Out. Not many out there with that resume. 

Q3. Who would you want as your QB in one must-win game?

It's Moore and it's a bit weird saying that seeing as how Mendoza beat Moore in a head-to-head matchup (Cal rolled UCLA, 33-7 back in 2023). But I think the floor and ceiling is higher with Moore.

Our analysts make their Moore-Mendoza picks

Before we move on to different topics, I thought it was interesting digging back in with Renner on his picks. He's been on the Mendoza bandwagon since before the season started, pegging him No. 1 in his mock draft in August and again at No. 1 overall in his most recent mock. Renner, the lead draft scout for CBS Sports, has Mendoza ahead of Moore in his prospect rankings, but it seems like Moore is rising: "If he improves upon what we've seen from him through five weeks this season and doesn't have any regression games, he'd be my pick," Renner wrote this week of Moore. 

The read there is Mendoza may be the safer prospect, but Moore is gaining steam -- and fast. To that end, Petagna said he would have provided different answers "two weeks ago." That Moore outing in the White Out earned him unending adoration. 

NFL not the only American football being played in London

The NFL International Games continues this weekend with Sunday's meeting between the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets in London. But before the pros took the field, the NFL Academy hosted Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday in a game that was tightly contested.

Much like with college basketball, the international push is happening in college football and the NFL Academy is quickly turning into ground zero. 

Last week, offensive tackle Niko Kampas made his debut in the Top247 rankings as a four-star prospect. A former volleyball player in Germany, the lanky Kampas is closing in on two dozen FBS scholarship offers, including ones from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Oklahoma. 

The Talent Tracker got a chance to watch Kampas and his teammates practice back in August while they were in the stateside for a game. The overall size of the roster was eye-opening. So were all the different flags on the player's helmets with over 20 different countries and nations represented. Very cool. And I'm glad I took History of the European Union as an elective in college or I would have been a bit lost.

The NFL Academy recruits kids from all across Europe to its campus outside of London with the goal of turning them into legitimate Power Four players. The team practices five days a week while in season under the direction of former NFL assistant Steve Hagan and even plays a spring game.

Kampas is the recruit to know right now overseas, but more and more schools seem to be warming up to the idea of exploring international options, especially with German-born linebacker Justin Okoronkwo finding success at South Carolina and English import Seydou Traore emerging as a trusted pass catcher at Mississippi State.

The 'Prairie State' hosts next great QB rivalry   

It has been a few recruiting cycles since we had a good ole fashion quarterback rivalry that spans multiple events and games (Justin Fields vs. Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young vs. DJ Uiagalelei are two personal favorites), but one appears to be brewing between two highly-ranked junior quarterbacks from ... Illinois?!

Isreal Abrams edged Trae Taylor last week in a 55-54 shootout between Montini Catholic and Carmel Catholic. The two four-stars combined for over 1,000 yards passing and 12 total touchdowns as the lead changed four times in the fourth quarter.

Abrams, who ranks as the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2027, completed 22 of 33 passes for 578 yards and four touchdowns. Taylor, who is the No. 4-ranked quarterback in the 2027 cycle, completed 25 of 36 passes for 505 yards and five touchdowns, adding three more scores on the ground.

Opinions vary on which quarterback has the higher ceiling, which could make the next year or so fun as there's a good chance that both Abrams and Taylor will compete alongside at next summer's Elite 11 Finals before meeting again during their senior seasons.

Abrams is currently uncommitted, but has taken trips in recent weeks to Tennessee, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Northwestern. He's an elastic athlete with a 6-foot-4 frame that can rip the ball around the yard with his easy exit velocity. There's some shades of Nico Iamaleava to his game.

Taylor gave an early pledge to Matt Rhudle Nebraska back in May. He's a precision passer with a good feel for pressure who can challenge tight windows with his touch and anticipation.