Oregon football: How should the Ducks resolve their quarterback quandary?

Oregon football needs to decide what to do about their starting quarterback job with an uncertain returning starter, a veteran and a talented newcomer.

Oregon football is in a unique situation going into the 2021 offseason.

The saying goes “if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one.” Well, the Ducks have three.

Sorting out the quarterback spot will be the biggest question Oregon needs to answer as Mario Cristobal and the Ducks coaches look to push for national relevance.

Should Oregon stick with Tyler Shough or look at other options?

In theory, Oregon shouldn’t have a conundrum at all. They’re returning season-long starter Tyler Shough, who will be a redshirt sophomore in 2021. He actually led the Pac-12 in passer rating this season. Shouldn’t that be good enough to keep his job?

Not so fast.

Oregon hardly showed any confidence in Shough throughout the season. They pulled him in and out of games, including the Fiesta Bowl to finish the season. While he finished 7-of-9 for 79 yards and an interception, backup Anthony Brown saw more action and led the team in passing.

Shough was erratic and struggled to get the Duck offense to flow for long stretches. When the going got tough, Oregon turned to Brown as a change of pace in the final two games of the season.

Brown transferred to Oregon from Boston College, where he had been a started before an injury ended his 2019 season. His size and rushing ability brought a different kind of weapon into the backfield when the Ducks needed it. He rushed for two scores against Iowa State in his second appearance.

Since Brown has the option to come back for another senior season, Oregon could go all-in on him in 2021. Maybe that’s what the Fiesta Bowl was supposed to gauge?

There’s an advantage to proceeding with Brown for one season. The Ducks just signed four-star quarterback Ty Thompson in the class of 2021. The 6-foot-4 passer was named the All-American Bowl Offensive Player of the Year thanks to his big arm and vast potential. He’s the future of Oregon football. He was ranked as the No. 39 overall recruit and No. 4 pro-style passer, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Oregon needs to decide if the future is now or later.

Thompson could arrive on campus and immediately command the starting job. More and more freshman quarterbacks are doing that these days. Shough or Brown could work as a stop-gap with the latter easier to promote as a one-year deal. The job would be Thompson’s by 2022.

Cristobal and offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead have some scenarios to ponder. And with the transfer portal looming, they better get it right.

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