Preseason Camp at Oregon, the Quarterbacks: UO release – Who’s back: The Ducks returned two veterans from the 2021 roster, redshirt freshmen Jay Butterfield and Ty Thompson. Joining the mix for spring ball was transfer Bo Nix, providing some experience to complement the young potential of Butterfield and Thompson. The freshmen combined for four appearances for Oregon last fall, going 8-of-12 for 104 yards and two touchdowns against Stony Brook. Much of that production was from Thompson, who later threw an interception in his second Pac-12 appearance, against Colorado. Nix, meanwhile, has more than 8,000 yards of total offense under his belt from the past three seasons at Auburn, with 39 passing touchdowns and 18 scoring runs. Who’s new: The Ducks added a bit more experience this offseason in Jake Van Dyne. At Missouri State the past two years, Van Dyne completed 12-of-25 passes for 154 yards in seven appearances. Also new this fall will be freshman Marcus Sanders, who was 96-of-158 passing for 1,218 yards with 13 touchdowns as a high school senior last fall. What to watch: With 2021 starter Anthony Brown now trying to win an NFL roster spot, the competition to replace him has been waged throughout the offseason. Butterfield, Nix and Thompson all rotated with different offensive personnel groupings in spring practice, creating a level playing field for them to battle it out. In the spring game, all three had at least one touchdown and also an interception. The competition continues into the start of preseason camp, with another month for the quarterbacks to make their case for the starting nod against Georgia come Sept. 3.
