Oregon Football Roster 2015: Vernon Adams Named Ducks' Starting Quarterback for Week 1
ByIt is likely a matchup Vernon Adams started eyeing once he transferred and now he will get to start for the Oregon Ducks against his former team, Eastern Washington.
The Ducks announced on Friday that Adams won the opening game's starting quarterback duty. Adams arrived in Eugene about two weeks ago and jumped right into a competition with Jeff Lockie, a QB who has spent multiple season backing up Marcus Mariota.
Despite Adams' late start, Oregon coaches indicated the graduate transfer caught on with the Ducks quickly.
"The separation was enough that as we began today we kind of started our true game week preparations, so the timing worked out for everything," Oregon head football coach Mark Helfrich told ESPN.
Adams dominated the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with Eastern Washington and even played well when his team matched up with Pac-12 schools. Adams then made the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for his final season of NCAA eligibility to play for the Ducks.
However, he hit a bit of a snag and had to complete a math course over the summer session before finally receiving his degree and the freedom to join the Ducks' football camp. The late start was expected by some to delay Adams' debut for the Ducks, especially since Lockie had spent the past two seasons as Mariota's backup, not to mention the entire spring and summer working out with the first-team offense.
ESPN noted that Oregon has not allowed Adams to address the media since arriving in Eugene and his last public comments came when he made his transfer official. The next time Adams is expected to speak to any reporters is the post-game press conference after Oregon plays Eastern Washington on Sept. 5.