Iapani Laloulu sees improved leadership from Dante Moore in 2026
Dante Moore has been right on track with his goal of improving as a leader in 2026, his center Iapani Laloulu revealed while speaking to media.
When Dante Moore announced that he was returning to the Oregon Ducks for the 2026 season during an appearance on ESPN's SportCenter, he preached improving both his leadership and readiness as goals before moving on to the pros. While it's very early on, as the Ducks have only had a handful of spring practices, one teammate in particular lauded Moore for the steps that he's taken in regards to finding his voice since the conclusion of last season. "He’s been more vocal," Oregon center Iapani Laloulu said during a press conference on Tuesday.
"Obviously, that's one of the biggest things. And just seeing when your QB is, like, vocal out there, you know, just calling the shots and making sure everybody's upholding the standard is probably one of the biggest things. So Dante is growing every single day, and I love that man.
" There's not many connections like a quarterback-center connection in football. Though the positions have very different job descriptions, the two have to work in lockstep. Not only do they have to be aligned on the snap count and the process of snapping and gathering the ball, but protections are determined by what both of them see.
In short, communication and comfortability between the quarterback and center is paramount. That's why there's no better player to ask on the Oregon roster about Moore's leadership than Laloulu. And not only does Laloulu simply work closely alongside Moore — he also knows a couple things about leadership himself.