Preseason Camp Preview: Quarterback
07/30/16 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Assessing where things stand for the Oregon football team entering the start of preseason camp Aug. 8.
QUARTERBACK
Who's back: Only two quarterbacks return with major college experience, but in all the Ducks will open preseason camp with five who participated in spring drills. Atop the depth chart in April sat Montana State transfer Dakota Prukop, a two-year starter with the Bobcats who accounted for 7,347 yards of total offense in 2014 and 2015. He enrolled at Oregon in January, and so had an eight-month head start over last year's transfer QB, Vernon Adams Jr. Prukop has a commanding presence on the field, which fans got a taste of in his post-practice interview sessions. That carried over into this summer, when he was a driving force in the Ducks' conditioning workouts. In the spring game, Prukop went a capable 20-of-29 for 190 yards and two touchdowns, but his leadership and running ability — he had 11 rushing TDs last season — will provide significant value beyond his passing numbers. Given his playing style, it might be a stretch to predict Prukop will give the Ducks their third straight FBS leader in pass efficiency. But the offense as a whole could be just as dangerous as in years past, with Prukop distributing the ball to his playmakers and picking up yards on the ground when available.
Spring also provided a glimpse of the Ducks' future — whether that begins this very season, or not until 2017. Travis Jonsen was sidelined much of his redshirt year in 2016 by a foot injury, making him something of an unknown quantity entering April. But though he couldn't run last fall, he was diligent about throwing into a net to improve his accuracy in November and December, work that paid major dividends in the spring. Jonsen made it known Prukop couldn't simply be anointed the starter for 2016, completing 18-of-24 passes in the spring game for 188 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception and was sacked multiple times, illustrating the experience gap between Jonsen and Prukop. But Jonsen was impressive enough that coaches made it clear through the summer there was still a quarterback competition to be staged come August. And Terry Wilson Jr., a true freshman who enrolled in the spring, showed promise as well. He showed no signs of freshman jitters despite beginning spring drills the same week he enrolled at Oregon. By the end of the spring Wilson was probably behind Prukop and Jonsen, but not by as significant a gap as might have been predicted entering April.
Also back are veterans Jeff Lockie and Taylor Alie, who were at the helm as the Ducks navigated through periods of injury to Adams last season. They worked at receiver in the spring in order to allow the newcomers more reps, demonstrating a selfless commitment to the program by two high-character guys whose results on the field so far have been mixed. In the cut-throat world of major college football, some folks outside the program will define them by their struggles. But there's a deep appreciation inside the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex for their contributions behind the scenes, both in the past and moving forward.
Who's new: The big, tall kid doing conditioning on the Ducks' practice fields this summer was Wilson's classmate, incoming freshman Justin Herbert. He was a three-sport standout at local Sheldon High who threw for 3,130 yards and 37 touchdowns while running for 543 yards as a senior last fall. Sheldon has an outstanding tradition at quarterback, from Chris Miller to Alex Brink and even more recently Alie. In talking with locals who watched Herbert in high school, there's the sense he may need a year or two of work to get acclimated to this level after splitting time in high school with basketball and baseball — but that once he does, his ceiling could be really, really high.
ESPN's take: We'll see. "The Ducks are loaded with weapons surrounding quarterback, so that helps, but the position itself is still a question mark."
ROB'S TAKE
Projected depth chart
QB: Dakota Prukop, Gr.; Travis Jonsen, RFr.; Jeff Lockie, Sr.; Terry Wilson Jr., Fr.; Taylor Alie, Jr.; Justin Herbert, Fr.
What to watch: Obviously the key point of interest when camp begins will be where things stand between Prukop and Jonsen. The reps they got in the summer, and how well they took advantage, had the potential to shake things up. For Prukop, it was a chance to enhance his comfort with Oregon's signals, and his chemistry with receivers. For Jonsen, to continue refining his mechanics, and bank reps he didn't get last fall. The assumption here is Prukop remains most likely to start the opener Sept. 3 in Autzen Stadium against UC Davis, but there's a lot of time between now and then. Either way, there's confidence Oregon's offense can keep on producing with either one; a recent Athlon Sports article listed Prukop and Jonsen among first-year quarterbacks nationally with the potential to direct a national-title drive. Also of interest will be the order behind them. Wilson and Herbert need all the reps they can get, and there will be a lot available this fall on the scout team. Or does one manage to crack the travel squad for this season? Lockie's experience could make him the more valuable presence on the sideline and in reserve, unless one of the freshmen blows away the coaches in the coming weeks.
