We talk about “butterfly moments” a lot in our daily lives, especially when it comes to sports. What if the Portland Trailblazers had drafted Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie? Or Kevin Durant instead of Greg Oden? What if Klay Thompson hadn’t erupted for 11 3-pointers in a playoff game against the OKC Thunder when the Warriors were down 3-1 in 2016?
For Oregon Ducks fans, here’s one that almost sounds sacrilegious to think about:
What if Marcus Mariota never came to Eugene, and rather went up north to Seattle to play for the Washington Huskies?
It’s not a fun thought experiment to carry out, but one that would have completely skewed the history of the Oregon Ducks, and set them back a long way in their quest for glory.
In a recent podcast interview with GoDucks’ Rob Moseley on the Mighty Oregon Podcast, Mariota broke down his recruitment between the two schools, and what ultimately led him to choose Oregon. Here is a snippet of the conversation:
Mariota: Well, I had been talking with Coach [Mark] Helfrich and Coach [Steve] Greatwood for a little bit before then, and they asked me to come up. They wanted me to basically show out your talents and your gifts to the coaching staff and kind of see where that went. It was funny because I took an unofficial visit to Washington the week before. You know, they offered me, I was excited, I was leaning towards going to Washington.
Moseley: Oof.
Mariota: I know!
Moseley: Painful thought.
Mariota: I know, that would have been… Life would have been very different.
Mariota goes on in the interview to describe how competing with Johnny Manziel at a camp ultimately led him to choose the Ducks, which he claims is the best decision he’s ever made in his life.
The podcast — which any Oregon fan should definitely check out — shines some light on Mariota’s time with the Ducks, and how it helped him in his career in the NFL, as he still looks to find a solid footing at the next level.
To listen to The Mighty Oregon Podcast with Rob Moseley, you can click this link.
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