Former Oregon Duck Quarterback Ty Thompson Exits Transfer Portal to Change Position
With the current climate of college football, many quarterbacks find themselves playing for multiple different universities throughout their college career. However, it's rare to see a college quarterback change their position assignment going into their final year of eligibility, but that's exactly what's happening with former Oregon Duck Ty Thompson.
According to 247 Sports' Matt Zenitz, Thompson is withdrawing his name from the NCAA Transfer Portal and heading back to the Tulane Green Wave to be a tight end.
Originally the first ever five star quarterback to sign with the Ducks, Thompson was the No. 9 ranked quarterback recruit for the class of 2021. During his time at Oregon, Thompson played back-up for quarterbacks Anthony Brown and Bo Nix. For the 2024 season with Dillon Gabriel transferring in from Oklahoma to lead the Ducks, Thompson decided to try his luck with the transfer portal and joined Tulane in 2024.
Thompson declared for the portal after a year in Tulane on December 12th. While with the Green Wave, Thompson lost the starting job to freshman Darian Mensah, who transferred himself to the Duke Blue Devils, seemingly opening the starting spot once again for Thompson to compete for.
In his junior year with the Green Wave, Thompson saw action in six games, including the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl against the Florida Gators. He put up 199-yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions with his most productive game against the UAB Blazers with one touchdown (a 22-yard pass in the third quarter) and 2-3 completions vs attempts in the passing game.
For his time with the Ducks, Thompson's best game was against Stony Brook in 2021 when Thompson threw two passing touchdowns and picked up 82-yards off a 6-9 passing accuracy. With Oregon, Thompson appeared in 17 games while going 42 of 66 passing for 456 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He was also back up in the Pac-12 Championship and the Fiesta Bowl during the 2023 season.
At 6'4 and 224 pounds, Thompson has the size to be able to compete for a spot at tight end. An evaluation by 247 Sports recruiting analyst Blair Angulo from 2018 highlighted Thompson's strength and build, which might fit in well with a tight end title.
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"Bulky frame with thick upper body. Prototypical size and moves well at 200 pounds. Strong lower half. Sets balanced base and throws with complete control. Elite arm strength, but also has the finesse to fit throws between defensive levels. Smooth mechanics and effortless throwing motion. Could improve mobility, footwork and pocket awareness. Candidate to start early in college career and projects to be an NFL Draft Day 3 selection," Angulo said.
Roughly 2,800 athletes entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in the 2023-2024 season with 2,707 not withdrawing or declaring for the NFL Draft. There is currently no limit for how many times an athlete can enter the transfer portal.
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