With Tyler Shough entering the transfer portal, the competition for the starting quarterback at Oregon got a lot more interesting. This article from NBC Sports Northwest breaks down the contenders. 

Lots of coaching and practicing ahead. How I hope there is a spring game that can be a(safely) attended by fans!

It sure looks like Coach Moorhead wants a DT-type guy running his RPO offense. One has to think that Robby Ashford leapfrogs Butterfield on the depth chart and Ty Thompson might be a real player in the mix if he can make the adjustment from 4A HS ball to D-1 college ball quickly.

My money is on Anthony Brown to start with one of the younger kids pushing him for playing time early in the year. Robby Ashford is an RPO guy and a great athlete and he has the huge advantage over Thompson of being in the system for a year.

With Ashford, Butterfield, and Thompson vying for playing time we are loaded with potential. Brown provides experience, and he is probably the guy to beat for the starting job. If Brown starts and struggles with passing, or his decision making, I think we see one of the young guns taking over quickly. 

Ashford is intriguing to me as a two sport athlete and competitor. The obvious problem is going to be some growing pains on offense, and our toughest opponent will be tOSU early. However, the team should get better as the season unfolds barring injuries to key personnel. 

I think our schedule needs to be considered when thinking about who the starter will be. With Fresno State at home, as our first game, this gives us a chance to try out a new guy, and give him an opportunity to see what he has.

Best case scenario is one of our new guys leads the team to a win against Fresno. If he struggles then AB steps in and leads the team into the game against tOSU.

We then play Stony Brook, at home, this again gives us an opportunity to give a young gun some game time experience. Maybe AB leads all the way through fall, but I doubt it.

I think somebody is going to get an opportunity to lead who hasn't started a D1 game. AB will be a back-up, safety valve in case the young guys struggle. This was the same thing that happened last year. I just hope we have a different outcome with our qb development.

It is time for a new beginning at the QB position at Oregon, exciting times!

Probably nothing, but did anybody else notice Shough didn't thank Cristobal by name in his tweet? I always wonder how these things transpire.

5 minutes ago, Nestucca Duck said:

Probably nothing, but did anybody else notice Shough didn't thank Cristobal by name in his tweet? I always wonder how these things transpire.

Nope, and the other exclusion of Joe Moorhead, the quarterback coach, was interesting.  Yet, it is a natural reaction if he did not feel...