Competition Breeds Excellence: How Dan Lanning and Oregon Will Navigate the Quarterback Battle

From the outside, it may look like each Oregon quarterback is working to beat the guy next to him, but it's a communal effort so far in spring.

One look at Duck Twitter, and the combustible anticipation for a quarterback decision seeps through every discussion. What else would you expect? Oregon’s underwhelming history of post-Justin Herbert quarterbacks due to sky-high expectations and distrust of transfers led to a social media uproar when Bo Nix transferred from Auburn for the 2022 season.

Mix that with the transfer of sophomore Robby Ashford back to Nix’s alma mater, and Duck fans were feeling uneasy whiplash.

Head Coach Dan Lanning kept firm in his belief for a fair quarterback competition. His faith in the candidates for QB1 continues through spring practice.

“I think we have a mature group," Lanning told reporters after Saturday's practice. "You look out there and you want competitive toughness. You want guys that go out there and work every single day to get better."

Bo Nix, Ty Thompson & Bo Nix

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

During the first two spring practices, the quarterback room felt a lot more collaborative. Made up of redshirt freshman Jay Butterfield, redshirt freshman Ty Thompson, and junior Bo Nix, the candidates for the job are sharing advice with each other and point out areas of focus during drills.

“The reality is they also realize they can make each other better if they share their knowledge and share what they see,” Lanning said.

It seems the hope of Nix bringing his SEC starting quarterback experience to help Butterfield and Thompson is working out in everyone’s favor. The former No. 1 dual-threat high school quarterback prospect beat Oregon in his first college start as a true freshman year in 2019. Nix went on to have a turbulent three seasons with the Tigers, seasons that involved a revolving door of offensive coordinators.

At Auburn, Nix threw for 7,251 yards, 39 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while rushing for another 869 yards and 18 touchdowns. Though Nix’s expertise is a great springboard for the two younger quarterbacks, he’s not just here to play the role of mentor.

“They know if they're doing things right or doing things wrong based on how they're evaluated every single day in practice,” Lanning said.

Ty Thompson & Bo Nix

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Thompson, widely considered by Ducks fans to be the best choice for the job, arrived in Eugene as the highest-rated quarterback signee in Oregon history. Last season, he appeared in just three games and attempted 15 passes. The interception he threw during the Colorado game was his final throw of his premiere season.

Butterfield only saw the field versus Stony Brook, with three attempts and two completions. A former four-star recruit out of Brentwood, Calif., his high football IQ can be attributed in part to his father’s experience as a former NFL quarterback from Stanford. Butterfield is a name that should not be glossed over in the competition. 

Jay Butterfield

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Backstories aside, “iron sharpens iron” seems to be the motive behind this spring for all three scholarship quarterbacks. As the season progresses, Lanning and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham will build an offense to support one of these hopefuls. 

Lanning didn’t shy away from emphasizing each quarterback, along with everyone on the roster, will know exactly where they stand as the spring game and fall camp inch closer.

“You know one thing that's our job as coaches is to teach and give immediate feedback," Lanning said. "So we're teaching every single day. We're giving immediate feedback after practice, during practice, and before the next practice. That's our goal, and our guys realize where they stand because of that."

As the quarterback battle continues, one can only hope the collaboration seen during spring practice leads to a definitive winner taking the throne of the offense. 

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