Whenever the topic of quarterback Ty Thompson comes up in Oregon Duck fan circles, there is often some passion that becomes prevalent. You won’t be able to find many Oregon fans who don’t have some type of opinion about the soon-to-be redshirt sophomore.
It’s understandable, too. What Ty Thompson has done during his time in Eugene is rarely seen anymore in the world of college football. His actions ironically go against the grain of what has become common in the sport. His situation is an interesting topic of conversation.
None of that is because he’s doing things on the football field that we’ve never seen before, but rather because we aren’t seeing him on the football field, and he’s choosing patience over playing time at the moment.
Thompson is a former 4-star QB who came to Eugene as the highest-rated passer to ever sign with the Ducks. He was billed to be the next great thing at Oregon, walking in similar footsteps as Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert. Instead, he’s been relegated to a backup role for his first two seasons, sitting behind Anthony Brown and Bo Nix, and only getting on the field sparingly, often in late-game situations where the game has already been decided.
In today’s era of college football, nobody would blame Thompson for entering the transfer portal and trying to find a team where he could become the starting QB. As a highly-rated prospect, it’s understandable that he would want to spend his college years actually playing, rather than sitting on the sideline with a headset on.
However, that’s not what we’ve seen. Thompson has stayed the course thus far and is biding his time while growing and improving in the shadows. I asked former Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington what he thought about Thompson’s decision to stay on a recent episode of the Sco-ing Long podcast. Here is what he had to say:
Ty Thompson sticking around in Eugene, waiting for his opportunity with the Ducks is something you rarely see in college football these days. @joey3harrington is thrilled with what that says about his character and his future at Oregon. pic.twitter.com/gjqTYHRaEC
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) February 17, 2023
Obviously, the fact that Thompson is willing to stick around in Eugene and try to improve to the point where he can take over as the starter is noteworthy and noble. We don’t see that decision be made by many players anymore, and it’s refreshing to see.
It also is a great development for the Ducks, who now have a backup QB behind Nix that they can feel confident knows the system well, and can keep the ship afloat in the case that something were to happen to the starter.
It’s not something you see often in college football anymore, so when you do, you have to take notice and appreciate it.
Thompson is biding his time. A year from now, the keys to the car will likely be his, and the wait will be worth it.
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