Ty Thompson Ready For Oregon Quarterback Competition After 'Refresher' at Manning Academy
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The jump from year one to year two can be a sizable one for many college football players. There may not be a position where that applies more than at quarterback.
The college game speeds up and there is a lot more on a quarterbacks plate than in high school. That situation is unfolding in Eugene with redshirt freshman quarterback Ty Thompson, who finds himself in the thick of a quarterback competition with Bo Nix and Jay Butterfield. Heading into fall camp, he's put in the time this offseason to make sure he continues see the measured growth Lanning wants from his entire team.
"I feel like I've grown with my accuracy and then with the film I feel like I've grown with my decision making, my recognition of defenses when I'm processing and making decisions," Thompson told reporters at Oregon Football media day.
Thompson recently attended the Manning Passing Academy, which strives to help offensive skill players improve on their fundamentals, techniques, skills and motivation among other aspects of the game. Oregon's young passer was one of numerous high-profile names invited to Louisiana and drew a lot of attention after a standout performance.
READ MORE: Observations from Oregon's first practice of fall camp
For Thompson, it was an experience that was very welcome ahead of his second season with the Ducks.
"The Manning Passing Academy, that was some of the most fun I've had around football in a long time," he said. "That was such a must-needed refresher for me. Getting around the kids was really fun and then competing with some of the best quarterbacks in the nation--was a blessing to be there."
We've only gotten to see the Arizona native in action a few times in the green and yellow, most notably against Stony Brook and Colorado last season. But he's been hard at work this offseason becoming a student of the game and it sounds like it's made a significant impact on his development.
"Since I've got here I've learned so much about football," the quarterback said of his first year with the Ducks. "I wish I knew what I knew now in high school. I would've been like the best thing that ever came out of high school. Being able to get that on the field and see it kind of come to fruition is gonna be fun."
There's no time like the present, and Thompson is ready to hold his own against the other talented arms in the quarterback room.
READ MORE: LB Jerry Mixon announces commitment date, talks Oregon interest
"I'm always confident," he said with regard to the quarterback competition in fall camp. "If you're not gonna believe in yourself, who is gonna believe in you? I have the utmost confidence in myself but at the same time it's an open competition. The other guys Jay, Bo are just as good as me. They earned the reps they're gonna get and I'm gonna earn mine."
Dan Lanning has not set a date for when he wants to announce the starting quarterback for the 2022 season.
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