Oregon Football: Pros and cons of Ty Thompson winning QB battle
![Mesquite Quarterback Ty Thompson talks with a coach in the 4A State Championship on Dec. 6, 2019 in Surprise, AZ.Ty Thompson, Mesquite QB Mesquite Quarterback Ty Thompson talks with a coach in the 4A State Championship on Dec. 6, 2019 in Surprise, AZ.Ty Thompson, Mesquite QB](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/ca917bd687dcfadeb46e8f3698bce19586b9b44832df56519c97d189e3e827eb.jpg)
Pros of Ty Thompson winning the starting job
If you went solely on the comps that 247Sports recruiting analyst Blair Angulo provided, you would be slightly underwhelmed. He compared him to Miami’s Brad Kaaya who made it to the NFL but was a late-round selection. Ty Thompson has more potential than that, in my opinion.
Thompson stands 6-4 and 215 pounds so he already has the frame of a day one contributor. He has a strong frame and a rocket arm to back it up. He isn’t a big runner, but his arm is eye-popping.
The first pro that comes to mind when talking about Thompson winning the job would have to be the potential for Oregon to have a 3-4 year starter. If you look at national title teams in the past, most of them have multi-year starters at quarterback with Alabama being somewhat of an exception as it replaced Jalen Hurts with Tua Tagovailoa in the title game against Georgia. Having someone who can take over for the next few years provides stability and continuity.
Next, he has a college-ready frame with an arm to boot. He’s not your regular lanky 6-foot-4 freshman quarterback. He has a bulkier frame and a strong upper body which will help him when it comes to taking hits. Plus, when he does actually decide to run, he won’t go down easily.
Lastly, he has a strong arm with tons of potential. He has barely scratched the surface so you would have to imagine when he does finally learn the playbook inside and out, he’ll be tough to fend off. If he reaches his potential, he’s going to be a superstar. Giving him an opportunity to prove himself immediately might be the move for Mario Cristobal if he wants to win in the long run.
Plus he’s an early enrollee so he’s going to get acquainted with the offense early on and have an entire semester under his belt by the time fall rolls around.
We saw Arizona State start Jayden Daniels and USC start Kedon Slovis — in recent memory — immediately and both have seen some success with each quarterback looking like a future pro. Oregon could see the same success with Thompson.