Recruiting services don't know everything. Joey Harrington, Kellen Clemens and Dennis Dixon weren't five-star recruits, and Johnny Durocher was rated higher than any of them. Darron Thomas was a four-star athlete, but Chip Kelly saw the quarterback in him, and the character. Now he's a sophomore star who led the Ducks to a conference championship and a 12-1 record in his first year running the show.
Marcus Mariota could be that kind of undervalued success story. The websites give him a "meh" 3-star kiss-off, but they're overlooking a lot. The young man was state offensive player of the year at St. Louis High in Hawaii (the school where Jeremiah Masoli went for his senior year) while passing for 2597 yards, 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He led his team to the state finals, completing 66% of his passes. He ran for 455 yards and seven touchdowns. His senior year passer rating was an eye-catching 189.97.
Oh yeah, he's 6-4, 195 and runs a 4.4 40. And he's smart, a serious student, carrying a 4.15 grade average. Here's his senior year highlight video.
Mariota also has things you can't measure or put in a highlight tape. He is bright, mature, grounded and poised. He has a solid family structure and an exceptional work ethic. He chose Oregon despite the presence of two strong quarterbacks in Thomas and Brian Bennett, and the concurrent commitment of touted Florida product Jerrard Randall. He wants to win, and compete. He's a Chip Kelly kind of guy.
There's a lot to like in his highlight reel. Mariota goes through progressions and makes a variety of throws. He has a strong arm, able to crank it up to 70 yards, and has both touch and precision, a nice, high release. He throws extremely well on the run and creates plays out of the pocket, scanning the field even when things break down. He improvises. He's makes good decisions under pressure.
Operating out of a spread offense that will look very familiar to Oregon fans, Mariota shows quickness and fluidity when he pulls the ball down, and he cuts upfield, a very efficient runner, courageous and decisive. He's well-coached with solid fundamentals, throws accurately rolling out either to his right or his left. Watch him tossing fade routes, seam routes, dump offs, crossing patterns, streaks. Excellent trajectory, on time, in stride.
This young man is an achiever and a competitor, and he's been solid to Oregon throughout his recruiting. In Thomas, Bennett, Mariota and Randall, the Ducks have four quarterbacks in various stages of development who are 1) perfect for the Oregon system and 2) Chip Kelly proteges. The future of the quarterback position is very bright in Eugene, particularly when you consider they also have Darryle Hawkins in the slash role, a very solid athlete who'll probably contribute at receiver next season, while showing a willingness to do whatever is needed to help the team, including impersonating Cam Newton in preparation for the championship game. The defense's success in containing Newton was in part a testament to Hawkins' dedication in giving them good looks during practice.
The Ducks continue to develop depth, speed and athletic ability throughout the roster, and the quarterback position has become an outstanding example.
No comments:
Post a Comment