2022 Oregon Football Spring Preview: Quarterbacks

Oregon will have an open quarterback battle heading into spring camp to find the leader of the brand new offense.

Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, the Oregon Ducks' quarterback situation looked fairly clear. Anthony Brown had exhausted his final year of eligibility, and the Ducks had a trio of talented signal callers who would fight for the starting job.

Ty Thompson, Jay Butterfield, and Robby Ashford each flashed their potential during Oregon's spring and fall camps in 2021. The opportunity for the new coaching staff, led by Dan Lanning, to develop a young quarterback was appealing to many Oregon fans.

But then, the coaching staff decided to shake things up a bit.

Lanning dove into the transfer portal to snag Bo Nix, a three-year starter at Auburn and a former five-star recruit. The addition of Nix, who played under Oregon Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham in 2019, caused some fear among Oregon fans that at least one of the young guns would hit the transfer portal.

It was Ashford who decided to move on from the program in early January, landing in his home state. Now, the quarterback competition will be open between the three quarterbacks, as Lanning has stated, and whoever is named the starting quarterback will be making their first start as an Oregon Duck against the reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta.

“Competition breeds excellence ultimately, and we're gonna have competition at every position across the board, quarterback included." Lanning said on Jan. 13. “We were really clear with Bo in saying that if you come in here there's certainly an opportunity to compete, but we're really excited about the guys we have on our roster as well and excited to see those guys come in and compete and go to work."

Let's take a look at each quarterback who will be up for the starting gig.

Bo Nix

© John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

H/W: 6'3"/215 lbs

Year: Senior

Games Played: 34

Nix ranks in the top five in Auburn history in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. He has a 21-13 record as the starting quarterback, and while his numbers don't quite jump off the page, he's had to endure some misfortune during his time at Auburn.

He worked with three different offensive coordinators and two different head coaches in just three seasons, which is a difficult recipe for success for any quarterback, especially playing in the SEC. Nix also never enjoyed the talent at the skill positions and along the offensive line that he will at Oregon.

Nix is coming off of a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery in November. It is unclear whether he will be ready to suit up in the spring.

Nix has attempted nearly 60 times the amount of passes that Thompson and Butterfield have combined. Going up against a championship SEC defense on a neutral site to begin the season was likely a reason why the coaching staff sought out a veteran quarterback.

Countless, if not every, media outlet will slot Nix in as QB1 to start the season. He's athletic, with over 800 rushing yards and 18 rushing scores to his name. He has impressive arm talent and can be a very effective passer when he has some time. He has a quick release that was beneficial when his offensive line play was below average, and he can scramble out of traffic and make plays with his feet.

Nix's consistency will have to improve, as he was a streaky quarterback during his time at Auburn. He never completed higher than 61% of his passes, and has never thrown for more than 16 touchdowns in a season.

Ty Thompson

© Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

H/W: 6'4"/223 lbs

Year: Redshirt Freshman

Games Played: 3

Thompson is perhaps the quarterback on the Oregon roster with the highest ceiling. His five-star rating coming out of high school will certainly justify that, but he didn't get many chances to prove it last season.

He only appeared in three games, completing 7-of-15 attempts for 87 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Most of his statistics came from the 48-7 win over Stony Brook, where he started the second half and played six of the Ducks' seven series in the half after Brown was shaken up. He threw two touchdowns in the game, one to Terrance Ferguson in the red zone and another to Dont'e Thornton to cap off a one-play, 54-yard drive.

Having appeared in more games and attempted more passes, Thompson was the favorite to be the next starting quarterback in 2022 prior to Nix's addition. The Arizona native has bought into the new coaching staff and appears ready to compete for the starting job.

Thompson has the strongest arm of the Ducks' quarterbacks and also shows promising accuracy and touch. He's also the fastest quarterback the Ducks have and would give Oregon plenty of comfort with play-action and rollout calls.

Even if Nix is the choice at quarterback, Thompson could be subbed in every once in a while as a dual-threat on short-yardage downs and in the red zone, similarly to how the Las Vegas Raiders utilized Marcus Mariota in 2021.

Jay Butterfield

© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

H/W: 6'6"/218 lbs

Year: Redshirt freshman

Games played: 1

Despite only appearing in one game and attempting three passes in his career, Butterfield is the longest-tenured quarterback on the Oregon roster, coming to Eugene as an early enrollee in the 2020 signing class. 

Butterfield was one of the top pro-style quarterbacks in his class, which would inevitably be a solid fit with the offense that Kenny Dillingham has envisioned — an offense that is explosive and "extremely fast."

While some may say Butterfield is the least athletic quarterback option, he isn't helpless when on the move. But he is perhaps the purest passer, as displayed during the spring game when he delivered multiple passes down the field on the money.

He shows great touch and accuracy on passes and isn't afraid to whistle a ball into a tight window. Butterfield, like Nix, has a quick release and a tight spiral, but there is much less film on his in-game capabilities and tendencies compared to the other two options.

Two-Deep Projection:

1. Bo Nix

2. Ty Thompson

Nix's experience as a three-year starter in the toughest conference in college football is valuable and is enough for him to earn the starting job. His relationship with Dillingham is a major bonus as well. Thompson and Butterfield will hash it out for the QB2 spot for the second year in a row.

With the first spring practice approaching in two weeks, the quarterback battle will undoubtedly be the biggest storyline throughout spring and into fall should the competition remain undecided at spring's end.

What will be interesting to watch is how Lanning and this coaching staff approach naming a starting quarterback. Will they ignore the names on each player's back and just observe their comfort and command of the offense, or will they lean on experience and veteran leadership as Mario Cristobal did with Anthony Brown?

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