Quarterback Ty Thompson Updates Development at Oregon
Quarterback Ty Thompson made history the very moment he put the pen to paper and signed with Oregon. By doing so, he not only locked in with the school he would be playing at for the next three to four years, he also became the first 5-star quarterback to sign with the Ducks.
With that has come a lot of expectations for his playing career. Some people expect Thompson to start right away in year one, while others believe he should be ready to go in 2022 when the Ducks figure to hold another quarterback battle.
How does the young man from Gilbert, Arizona deal with all that?
"I only deal with the expectations I put on myself. Outside expectations, it's nice to hear, but I just want to be the best person I can be, the best Ty Thompson every day," the freshman said at Oregon football media day. "I know what I can do personally, so I just go out and try to hold myself to my standards and not really anybody else's."
Unlike some other freshmen quarterbacks across the country, Thompson has already been in Eugene for seven months, making the decision to graduate early from Mesquite and trade in his final months of high school for the opportunity to get a leg up on the competition. It's an aspect of college football that's becoming more common every year, especially at the quarterback position.
Thompson is already seeing the return on his investment, going as far as calling it the best decision he's ever made.
"It's probably the best decision I've ever made, honestly," Thompson said when looking back on his journey to Eugene. "Coming in early so I can get a little head start. It's been a blessing this past, whatever seven months."
"I talk to my friends all the time, if I knew now what I knew in high school I would have been the best player to ever play high school football. It's crazy, the amount of football stuff I've learned, I feel like I've grown so much mentally and physically."
It's fascinating to hear him talk about making such big strides, especially when you consider just how prolific he was in high school.
Thompson has all the physical tools to play college football as a true freshman. Just turn on his highlights and you'll see his cannon of an arm on full display. It's clear that he's taken full advantage of the facilities at his disposal in Eugene with Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Aaron Feld, but where he's seen the most growth is his intangibles.
"It's really just smaller things like recognizing defenses and things that tip the defense. Knowing blitzes and protections and what routes beat what type of coverage," he said of how he's grown as a quarterback. "Coach Moorhead and AB (Anthony Brown) have taught all of us so much in the past seven months. I've just been soaking it in, and I feel like it's expanded my game for sure."
Heading into fall camp, Mario Cristobal has said Anthony Brown will start with the one's. Even so, Thompson is ready to do whatever is asked of him.
'Whatever situation I'm put in, I'm just trying to help the team out," Thompson told Ducks Digest. "Whether I'm the fourth string, taking scout team reps helping the defense get better, or if I'm the number two pushing AB for the starting job. Whatever opportunity I can take to help the team get better is what I'm gonna do."
What kind of leader can his teammates and fans expect when his time comes?
"I'm really not much of rah-rah guy. I will be when I need to be, but I feel like that makes it mean a lot more. I won't go out there and scream and yell every practice and do this and that," he said of his leadership style.
"I'm more lead by example--show the guys that I work my butt off just like everybody else. I try my hardest to be the hardest worker on the field every single day. As far as a leadership standpoint, when it comes that time, I feel like I've earned the respect and I'll become more of a vocal leader. But as of right now, I just have my head down, working hard so I can earn the respect of the team."
The culture Mario Cristobal is building is a major selling point for every recruit that comes through the doors of the Hatfield Downlin Complex, from the roaring welcome after coming up the elevator, all the way to their first team meeting as a Duck. Thompson opened up about what it's been like to finally be a part of it all.
"I can see it moving everyday. It's more of a hard working, we focus on the details family culture. Everybody's in here just to make each other better. We're here to win football games and that's the end goal, end all be all. Whatever it takes, we're gonna do it and we're gonna do it the right way for sure."
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