The Ducks quarterback situation for 2015 is probably one of the most interesting in the country. The 2014 Hesiman winner, Marcus Mariota has been lighting up Autzen Stadium for the last three years and now there is a void that must be filled. The consensus is that Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams Jr. will have the best chance to take the reins of the offense but we cannot forget the efforts spent on recruiting some incredible talent, namely Travis Waller.
Waller made the list of Top 10 quarterback recruits you should watch this season on Si.com. Waller is ranked as the number three dual-threat quarterback recruit in the country. Sound familiar Duck fans? A quarterback that can run AND throw the ball can fit nicely into the offense Mark Helfrich and Scott Frost have developed in recent years.
Waller compiled quite a reputation in high school in Anaheim, accumulating 3,361 passing yards and adding another 2,133 on the ground over 23 games. Not only did he put up big numbers, they were sustainable and consistent, important traits for any athlete. His passing numbers don’t stop with just pure yards, a 54.2% completion percentage helps to establish his legitimacy. While he may not be quite on the same level with Mariota’s 68.3% last season, we see that Waller has the potential for great success at the next level.
Two more quarterbacks on the list are ones that Ducks fans will possibly get acquainted with this year. The number 84 recruit and third best ranked pro-style quarterback Jake Browning has committed to Washington and down south the number 2 overall and number 1 pro-style quarterback Josh Rosen has enrolled at UCLA and is set to replace Brett Hundley this year.
While Rosen has a clear path to the field at UCLA, Waller has more in common with Browning in that both of them will have to prove themselves in spring practices for a chance to get playing time. Waller will have to fight through the experienced backup Jeff Lockie, Georgia Tech transfer Ty Griffin and another MM waiting in the wings- Morgan Mahalak– a four star recruit from a year ago. Regardless of who will be under center this year the competition is fierce and should produce plenty of production from everyone involved in the competition.
Top Photo by Kevin Cline
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My name is Max Thornberry, and I am a sophomore at the University of Oregon studying journalism. I am from Ventura, CA but fell in love with Oregon when I visited last year and came to the Oregon vs. Cal game. I love sports and my hobbies mainly include fantasy baseball and football as well as playing sports video games. Growing up watching sports center and espn news I always wondered what I had to do in order to get a job where I got to talk sports every day, so when I saw an opportunity to intern for a sports news website (FishDuck.com) I couldn’t wait to get involved.