Oregon spring football preview: Quarterback

Oregon is set to open spring practices on March 10. There is plenty of excitement surrounding Dan Lanning’s program, and there is no shortage of storylines related to the Ducks’ roster. In the coming days, ScoopDuck will have you covered with position-by-position previews that highlight a key returner, key newcomer, and a breakout candidate at each spot.

First up: the quarterbacks.

Scholarship players

• Jay Butterfield (R-Fr.)
• Bo Nix (Junior)
• Ty Thompson (R-Fr.)

Key returner

Ty Thompson

Will the Ty Thompson era finally begin in 2022? There are plenty in Eugene who hope so.

For those who have followed the program closely in recent years, Thompson needs no introduction. For those who are less familiar, the former 4-star is the top quarterback signee in program history and was the No. 36 overall prospect in the class of 2021.

There are few players who have come through the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex and captured the imagination of Duck fans the way Thompson has. He’s an elite athlete with incredible arm talent and an ideal frame for a Pac-12 quarterback. But for the second season in a row, he finds himself competing for Oregon’s starting job with a grad-transfer veteran who divides opinion — more on that later.

Needless to say, it will be exciting to monitor Thompson’s progress this spring and see where he has made strides after his first year on campus. It’s worth mentioning that shortly after Mario Cristobal’s departure, Thompson took to social media to reaffirm his commitment to Oregon.

ten toes down💚

— ty thompson (@ty_thompson7) December 20, 2021

Key newcomer

Bo Nix

Which version of Bo Nix is arriving at Oregon?

Is it the dynamic maverick who defeated Justin Herbert and the Ducks as a true freshman at Auburn in 2019? Or is it the oft-injured, sometimes-frustrating player who struggled against SEC defenses each of the last two seasons?

The answer may lie somewhere in between, which could be just fine for Oregon. With the departure of Anthony Brown, the Ducks were always going to need to add a veteran quarterback. The fact that they found one with a 5-star pedigree who played his best ball under newly-hired offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham sure doesn’t hurt.

A vocal faction of Oregon’s fanbase is concerned that the arrival of Nix might chase Oregon’s two blue-chip young quarterbacks into the transfer portal. We’ll find out more in the coming weeks on if that is true, or if Thompson and Jay Butterfield are far along enough in their respective development schedules to push Nix for the starting job.

Breakout candidate

Jay Butterfield

If Jay Butterfield hadn’t arrived one signing class prior to Thompson, he might be hailed as Oregon’s quarterback heir apparent.

Butterfield, a redshirt freshman who served as the Ducks’ third-stringer last year, is the sixth-highest ranked quarterback to ever sign with Oregon, according to 247 Sports. He was lost in the shuffle last season, so it’s easy to forget that he is an incredibly talented prospect in his own right.

He was the No. 151 overall prospect and No. 11 quarterback in the class of 2020.

Butterfield stands 6-foot-6, 218 pounds, and throws a really nice deep ball. His teammates rave about his work ethic, and he by no means should be counted out as a contender for Oregon’s starting job.

Of note:

Vegas likes Nix’s chances of winning the Ducks’ starting job. In Vegas Insider’s latest Heismann odds, Nix is listed as +5000. That’s not only the best odds of any player on Oregon’s roster, it’s the 19th-best odds in all of college football.