Oregon Football: Ducks Hosting Big-time 2018 Target
By Chris Jones
In what can be considered a surprise to many, head coach Willie Taggart and the Ducks hosted a very important recruit this morning.
Oregon quarterbacks have been on the mind of pretty much every Duck fan since starter Justin Herbert left the Cal game with a shoulder injury.
With quarterback being a major need for the current Oregon team, and for their 2018 recruiting class, the starting signal-caller of the future might have been at practice this morning.
That future might be four-star quarterback Tyler Shough (Chandler, AZ)
Tyler Shough, the No. 7 ranked QB from the class of 2018 was at Ducks practice today. He's currently verbally committed to North Carolina
— Jen Beyrle (@JenBeyrle) October 4, 2017
According to Beyrle, Shough and his family were in attendance as the Ducks prepared for their matchup with Washington State.
The four-star is currently committed to North Carolina, but is apparently still looking around.
They also appear to be going with a freshman quarterback, which could limit Shough’s chances to get on the field early.
Oregon presents an interesting opportunity for 247sports.com’s 10th-ranked quarterback in the country.
Behind sophomore Justin Herbert, the Ducks only have two scholarship quarterbacks, leaving a door wide open for a 2018 recruit.
For Hamilton High School in Arizona, Shough has thrown for over 3800 yards and 44 touchdowns in 19 games played.
Shough also is a member of the Elite 11, the best collection of high school quarterbacks in 2018.
This summer, he also performed at Nike’s The Opening.
One of his teammates at The Opening’s 7-on-7 tournament was highly coveted receiver Chase Cota (Medford, OR).
Cota is an Oregon legacy, but doesn’t seem completely set on staying in-state. He has taken official visits to Notre Dame and UCLA so far, and will travel to Alabama this weekend.
A commitment from Shough could possibly be another point in the Ducks favor for the in-state star.
Shough is not a typical dual-threat quarterback that Oregon usually covets, but he has a great arm that could be deadly with all of the offensive weapons the Ducks have.
According to ESPN recruiting’s evaluation, Shough is “a kid that is a bit of a sleeper and could be a much different player in three years. Shows flashes and will only get stronger and better.”
Currently, despite a wide-open depth chart, the Ducks have no quarterback committed in the class of 2018.
Could Shough be the answer they’ve been searching for?
For a recruiting class that could be the best in school history, a star quarterback would be a bowling ball-sized cherry on top.
Next: Top Recruits react to Cal win
Oregon Football hosts Washington State on Saturday at 5 pm Pacific Time on FOX.