Oregon Football: 3 post-spring 2021 breakout candidates on offense

I was all set to dub Anthony Brown the clear favorite to win the starting quarterback job, but then I watched the spring game. The redshirt freshman quarterback showed why he was considered one of the best dual-threats in the 2020 class. He was rated as a four-star and the 247Sports Composite listed him as the No. 12 dual-threat in the country.

Brown looked decent in the spring game, Jay Butterfield was alright, and Ty Thompson showed flashes, but it was Ashford who impressed the most.

Ashford showcased his accuracy and a clutch gene, throwing the final touchdown pass to set up a walk-off two-point conversion run with one second remaining. He hit Dont’e Thornton from 44 yards out to set up the impressive two-point conversion and won his team the game.

We might hear all about Butterfield and his accuracy and his 118 yards and a touchdown or Brown and his 230 yards and a score but it’s Ashford who deserves the recognition.

He may have just put himself in a prime position to win QB1.