Did the Oregon Ducks Fail Ty Thompson?

[FishDuck Article]

Our Oregon Ducks football team has had some major movement at the quarterback position over the past week. Bo Nix was a Heisman finalist just this past weekend, and it looked like former four-star quarterback Ty Thompson may have been in the driver’s seat to take on the next starting job at Oregon. Unfortunately for Thompson, the Ducks’ staff thought other...

 

Did the Oregon Ducks Fail Ty Thompson? | FishDuck

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Our Oregon Ducks football team has had some major movement at the quarterback position over the past week. Bo Nix was a Heisman finalist...

 

[QuackAttack]

I think Ty got the screw job. He’s visiting NC State and I hope he goes in there and tears it up and proves he should have been the guy! Hoping Gabriel does well, but what a hoot it would be if Ty does so well he’s a Heisman finalist 

[Smith72]

No, Oregon did not fail TY Thompson.  He had time to prove himself in practice.  Everyone could see his deer in the headlights performances.

 

The star ratings of high school players is flawed in favor of those who can attend camps and impress with measurements loosely associated with football.

 

Even 7 on 7 competitions do not account for the intense pressure of full contact football where the QB can be hit.  The mental aspects of the game, decision making, and the ability to see the field at college speed is more important.

 

Coach Lanning and staff recruit as many good athletes as possible at each position.  They are not given a starting position.  They have to earn it.

 

I wish Ty Thompson the best at his next school.

[Haywarduck]

My evaluation would be Ty is disappointed and we were disappointed, but that is life. Move on, keep your head up and do better next time. That is what both parties have done, and that is the way a functioning system works.

 

With our kicker Lanning brought in a junior transfer who probably would have taken over if he had been healthy. If you struggle there isn't a get out of jail free pass like some kids game. If you fail you have to earn it back, and the only thing free is your education, it's a scholarship.

 

I get it Ty was given some poor opportunities last year, but he also didn't rise up to those opportunities. What he was really waiting for was an injury and then the opportunity to take over.

 

Many on here remember Masoli, came to Oregon with no guarantee to start, maybe 4th on the depth chart. He was a grinder and ended up getting a shot because of injuries. Once on the field he took over.

 

What Ty is now going to do is go to a less competitive school and try to earn the job, I wish him well. What we have to do is again have a back-up ready to take over. Every program is one injury away from needing a capable backup. Every back-up is one snap away from that opportunity to shine.

 

Unfortunately for Ty he never got that full opportunity. After watching the dawg game last year, where he did get a small shot, we may have been lucky he didn't. Going forward I do wish him the best. Keep grinding Ty and remember you will always be a Duck and can be proud of the way you dealt with every move.

 

 

[HappyToBeADuck]

Playing time and starting positions are earned. Players must earn their shot.

 

My expectation is that the best performing players take the field so the Ducks can win all their games.

 

QB2's role is to be ready to take over at any moment in a game.

 

When Ty had his shot, last year in a critical moment in the Washingron game or in mop up duty, he did not lead or impress.

 

That's just my observation.

 

Best of success going forward to Ty and all the former Duck transfers who could not crack the lineup on a Top 10 team.

[woundedknees]

The season Oregon defeated USF, OBD went through 5 quarterbacks over a very short stretch by the bowl game.

 

Heaven forbid that  ever happens again.

[Steven A]

Was he given a fair shot.

 

I think so, but I wasn't at practice.

 

This last year when he saw action, he had more of a playbook to use.

 

Two years ago, he didn't and didn't seem ready.

 

Of course, he would have had to be VERY special to have beaten out a Heisman finalist.  Possibly the same next year.

 

In developing QB talent, the HS players coming in have to think they are the next big thing. If they don't have that attitude, then they weren't going to be.

 

I guess in two years when Akili Smith Jr. arrives, we may see.

[Ben H]

I love Ty as a person but will be shocked if he does a whole lot as a quarterback.  I think it is very telling that Mario and Kenny Dillingham are not going hard after him.  They saw him extensively in practice and up close and you can bet they would be all over bringing him in if they saw greatness in him.

 

Love to be surprised and see him tear it up for someone but I don't think I will be.  Oregon (to my memory) has not had a quarterback transfer out that tore it up somewhere else and made us regret it later.  

[Drake]

I look at TT’s performance on the field.
 

When given the opportunity to rise to the occasion he had some epic fails. Perhaps it was nerves, but it was not a body of work that shouted starter material. Generally, a young gun QB shows potential early. TT showed he clearly was a work in progress at best.
 

He had some nice passes in mop up duty this year, but his body of work did not impress the coaches. The Oregon coaches want to have a chance to compete for a conference championship. They are the ones that TT had to convince that he was their guy. 
 

While it would have been a great story of perseverance to have him turn into a solid QB at Oregon. It just didn’t work out that way. The coaches saw what was available in the transfer portal and got their QB for next year. 

 

Does their decision to add a QB from the transfer portal really qualify as the Oregon Ducks failing TT? 

[Duck 68]

Like others, I think TT was a young man of great character and potential. We saw him perform in games in a less than stellar manner, somewhat due to the mop up role he was given. He frequently was paired with other second tier performers and the plays called for him were not at all aggressive. Plus, who will look top notch when compared with the best, in my opinion, qb in college football. I think that could be an issue for Gabriel. Will we compare him to Nix? Tough standard to meet. 

[Augduck]

I am certainly no expert on QB evaluations.  

 

In talking with some people connected to the program, all unequivocally felt the same thing,   They felt Mario was drawn to the fact Thompson was a 5 star guy. They are not sure how far and deep Mario looked beyond how the recruiting services rated him.  The other thing they felt was that Mario never really had a plan for how to develop TT (surprising I know ).    

 

Dillingham comes in and Bo joins him.  Clearly KD and Dan saw something there and figured out how to take advantage of it.  

 

I certainly hope for the best for Ty.   He is a very admirable young man and it appears he was well liked by his teammates.   Hopefully he learned from Bo and will take his game to the next level.

[JDuck]

Of course he got a shot, he didn't give the coaches the impression we'd be winning at the level we want or he'd have played and Gabriel wouldn't be coming in.

 

Nix did give the coaches something to be excited about and had 2 coordinators here in 2 years and developed into a Heismann finalist.  We have an OC and QB coach that looks like he'll be fine at developing a good QB.  5 stars mean nothing, a QB has to develop too regardless of the coach.  I wish him well but the coaches know what they are doing.

[Just Ducky]

 Like most of us know that win today is mandatory in college football and developing a quarterback is extremely difficult. Time is of the essence in todays landscape.
 

 The eye ball test is always what I use to evaluate how a guy will perform under pressure.

 
 TT never won me over and obviously never won the coaches over.

 

 Saw him in the spring game couple years back, he showed good arm strength but was late with his reads and threw behind receivers more than once.

 

 Never saw that fire in his eyes and never saw it this year as well, not sure it’s in his belly either.

 

 I’m actually surprised he was our backup this season and if the coaches were not impressed with him I wonder what they truly think of Austin. Worries me a bit.

 

 Wish him luck and I’m sure he will find a place to land.

[jrw]

I just don't get all the controversy about this. To think that he was failed by Oregon is to assume he was a great, or potentially great, player who, for some reason no one can name, was denied a fair shot. Why would the coaches deliberately overlook a player who could improve the team?

 

This happens all the time; players are overrated, don't live up to potential, can't produce when the spotlight shines, whatever. It's nasty, but that's what competition is all about.

[EastBayDuckDad]

I think it is possible to get a fair shot and a raw deal at the same time. As has been mentioned, we never got the opportunity to see TT at practice. How he reacted in do or die situations, when exotic blitzes and pressures were thrown at him or what he switched play calls to based on defensive looks. The coaches did. 

 

I'm pretty sure that at the start of the 2023 season when Bo said he was returning, the coaching staff evaluated TT, decided to give him the year to develop into the next starter and told him so. That was the fair shot. The raw deal was that DL and WS decided he didn't develop as hoped and went to the portal again. 

 

Thompson now has the opportunity to go to a program that will start him and let him develop on the job. A luxury he didn't have at Oregon. Somewhere he can make mistakes and learn from them, where a 7-5 season and a minor bowl game is considered a good season. 

 

More power to him. Maybe he will end up in NYC and be able to look back and say "told ya so". I don't predict that but like most everyone on this forum I wish him only the best wherever he goes. 

[idontrollonshobbas]

In fairness to Ty, when he did get into games, he looked better than Chris Harper at QB.

[EastBayDuckDad]

On 12/13/2023 at 9:04 AM, EastBayDuckDad said:

Somewhere he can make mistakes and learn from them, where a 7-5 season and a minor bowl game is considered a good season. 

Like U$C......

[Jon Joseph]

NO!

[Santa Rosa Duck]

Just saw a rumor that Ty Thompson was getting close to Oregon State. If it was on the internet, then it must be true, correct?

[Charles Fischer]

Oh man....I saw the title of the article and just GROANED.  We have discussed this at length already, and there are a few that have almost made this topic their hill to die on.

 

Did Ty get a fair chance?  How do I know?  I was not at the practices, in the meeting rooms, anywhere, and I do not think anyone here either can make that call.  Not to mention how we do not have the QB coach knowledge of a Will Stein who played QB at D1 level, and has done a decent job coaching it.

 

Can we view this from a different perspective?  Let's look at it from a Risk-Reward ratio as if YOU were the head coach.  What is your greater probability of success--going with Ty or Dillon? Put yourself in Dan Lanning's place for a moment...

 

If, as HC you guess wrong?  You are fried by us fans, and your job is on the line.  My years as a wealth manager made me apply that concept of risk-reward to many aspects of my life. (Although I sure did not with creating these two sites considering work vs. reward, but that is an ancillary topic)

 

If Ty has not shown overwhelmingly in practice that HE IS THE MAN, then as HC, you-gotta-do-what-you-gotta-do to make Oregon a contender for 2024.  He has done that with Gabriel, and media glow from this transfer has the Ducks at the top of national conversations about next season already.

 

Stein and Lanning have huge QB risks, and must have a high scoring offense...

 

[Tjack]

Now that free agency has taken hold in CFB, the 4-5* backup QB quandary will be played out numerous times across the country.  UW’s Sam Huard, rated higher than Thompson, saw the writing on the wall and made his exit earlier this year.  

 

As for how to groom the no. 2 QB, I like Jonathan Smith’s strategy for Aiden Chiles by giving him the third series of every game.  These would be meaningful reps, potential pressure situations, the perfect test kitchen.  Chiles is now a proven commodity and MSU fans are salivating.

[Steven A]

On 12/13/2023 at 10:58 AM, Tjack said:

I like Jonathan Smith’s strategy for Aiden Chiles by giving him the third series of every game.

Yes, it was good strategy.  But I think he only put it in play when DJ showed some warts a few games in.

[GangGreen2]

I think TT was given his shot . . . and really never rose to elite QB status.  As fans, I think we could see that over the last few years.  And I trust the current coaching staff to sort this out for the good of the team and the program.

 

It is such a tricky business to assess and develop young QBs, for arguably the most important position on any team.  I seem to remember Marcus Mariota was a 2 star prospect . . . and goodness, look how he turned out.   So many 4 and 5 star players out of high school show great potential, but even with good coaching, many of them fall short of becoming elite players, for one reason or another; it looks like TT falls into that category.

 

He now has a chance to start fresh somewhere else . . . I hope he can turn it around and become a solid starter somewhere.  We'll see . . . 

[DanLduck]

No, the Ducks did not fail Ty.

 

But did he get a fair shot? Depends how you define fair.

Ty beat out all young qb's, but not a 3 year, 5☆, starter. 

Who would?

(You could argue that competing against 3-5 year starters isn't exactly a level playing field)

 

Ty was clearly developed as a player.

His improvement from that first spring game and early playing time until this past season was huge.

His throws were timely, on target and with touch. He is clearly ready to run an offense for a D1 program.

 

But as he is young in actual game experience,  he will make his learning errors. Apparently, Lanning & Co aren't willing to endure that learning curve.

Who can blame them.

 

In this day and age of win now, and multi-million dollar salaries, DL needs to do what he needs to do.

Joining the B1G next year, with a very experienced qb is a massive asset. No way could he pass on DG.

 

As far as Ty goes, he will land in a good place and utilize the lessons he learned at Oregon, being developed by great coaches, to become successful. He is ready and earned his shot.

 

I hope Mr. Gabriel does well, and more importantly, stays healthy. As now we are very inexperienced at backup.

 

 

 

[DuckHeart]

No failures.  Two head coaches and three offensive coordinators (I think that's right) saw him in practice and in games.   And I bet all of them saw pretty much the same thing as we did.  We all wanted Ty to do well, in fact we all wanted him to do great things on the field.  It didn't work out and it is best for him to move on.  

 

[kirklandduck]

TT was really more a victim of circumstance.  The college football world for high end programs is always in a "win now" mode.  That means if your number is called you better be ready to show the coaches you can do the job well.  But TT's development was hampered by Cristobal, mainly because he just doesn't care (or is exceedingly bad) about developing QBs.  So that put him 2 years behind what you expect his skillset should have developed to be.  Throw in on top of that Bo transferring in and becoming the QB that he is now, there was no chance to start at all...though he did start getting more on field time since Oregon blew out more teams during the past 2 seasons than Cristobal did in his entire tenure at Oregon.  He was clearly improving under Dillingham and Stein, just not enough to make him the best option going foward.

 

IMHO I think his best choice right now is actually to head over to Corvallis, where I presume they're going to stick with a pro-style offense similar to what Jonathan Smith was running.  He can hone his skills against MWC opponents for a year then transfer to a P4 school for his final season.

[Log Haulin]

On 12/13/2023 at 3:10 PM, kirklandduck said:

TT was really more a victim of circumstance

I agree 100%. He got stuck behind a Heisman finalist. Now Oregon has landed another probable Heisman finalist. Oregon jumped on it as they should have.

 

If I am honest about it, both Oregon and Ty play a role in this imo. Both parties should own their part. It's easy to put it all on Ty. But Ducks own some of this.

 

I can and have gotten out in weeds in defense of Ty. He has gotten kicked around a bit and that bothers me. But hey, if you can't kick a man when he is down, when can you kick him?

 

So I want to say thanks to Ty Thompson. He showed up for work and worked at work. I celebrate a man like that. He makes it super easy to cheer for. So that is what I will do.

[PittDuck]

I am also one who thinks it was more timing and circumstance.  He was too young and green to beat out Anthony Brrown, and was nowhere near the QB Bo Nix was.

 

Now Dillon comes in, at a level that is arguably better than Bo was when he arrived.  While I liked TT, and wanted to see him succeed, the stair he had to climb to get there were just too much.

 

The Ducks did not fail him, he was just the latest in a long list of potential commits who just couldn’t crack the starting lineup.  There have been lots of others we thought would be “the guy” who came up short for a variety of reasons.

 

Guys like: Travis Jonsen, Tyler Shough, Jay Butterfield, Jake Rodriguez, Morgan Malahak, Brian Bennett, Robby Ashford, Braxton Burmeister, and Cale Millen, to name some of the more recent.

[Charles Fischer]

On 12/13/2023 at 7:25 PM, PittDuck said:

Guys like: Travis Jonsen, Tyler Shough, Jay Butterfield, Jake Rodriguez, Morgan Mahalak, Brian Bennett, Robby Ashford, Braxton Burmeister, and Cale Millen, to name some of the more recent.

Damn good post.

 

[Jon Joseph]

In this life for better or worse, you reap what you sow in any given venture. Ty sowed nothing bad, but he also sowed nothing that matched his recruiting ranking.

 

Ty was a highly-rated recruit. As PIttDuck so correctly noted being a big fish in a small high school pond does not mean that you will be a big Duck in the Oregon pond.

 

Mark Helfrich was a terrific OC. As a Head Coach, not so much.

 

This has nothing to do with Ty as a person but everything to do with Ty as a player. If the coaching staff believed that Ty was The Guy, Ty would be The Guy. He had plenty of practice reps to prove his worth.

 

Big-time CFB is a big-time business. Many businesses fail, and a few survive. Two Harvard dropouts almost took down IBM.

 

All the best to Ty. A loyal Duck who made the right move to find playing time and will hopefully thrive in a new pond.

[Lrod]

why is this even a question?  I respectfully say this.. just a lead in

 

He wasnt a Lanning recruit. He wasnt going to start over Bo.   Thats just the way it is.  

 

We are feeling bad for Ty just for the fact he stayed and waited.  No one on here can fully say they were confident in going into the Big 10 with Ty.  Look at Arch Manning.  He is about to enter his 2nd season.  If he doesnt transfer, he wont be seeing the field until year 3.  Jalen Milroe.  didnt see the field until his Junior year.   Its no different anywhere else.  

 

Thats just facts.  Im rooting for him wherever he goes.  I do at some point want to get out of the QB portal race and I think that will happen after Akili Smith Jr arrives.  We should have QB recruit continuity by then.  But to compete at the highest levels, the valued QB will have been seasoned to stand a real chance at winning