Oregon targeted Vernon Adams Jr. over Braxton Miller

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman has an excellent feature on Oregon transfer Vernon Adams Jr. up, which is well worth a read.

There’s some interesting stuff in there -- Adams’ decision to transfer from FCS side Eastern Washington to the No. 2 team in the nation wasn’t easy, and he’s training in a strip mall with what sort of looks like a Bane mask. But this stuck out regarding Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller:

Adams’ decision came down to Oregon or staying at Eastern Washington. Texas tried to recruit him but came in too late in the process, he said. Adams talked to UCLA and considered taking a visit there the week after he visited Oregon, but opted not to after thinking more about his situation. He said he had no idea what Miller might do, and that “Oregon told me straight up that they were coming after me and, if they didn’t get me, then maybe they go after him, but they said they were coming after me first.

Miller, of course, has yet to announce if he intends to leave Ohio State as a fifth-year graduate transfer. But if/when he does, it’ll trigger a free agent feeding frenzy Oregon was expected to participate in.

With Adams -- who threw for 110 touchdowns and rushed for 11 more in three years at EWU -- already in the fold, though, the Ducks likely will stay on the sidelines as teams try to woo Miller (and Notre Dame’s Everett Golson, if he decides to leave South Bend this spring). That’s high praise for a guy in Adams who didn’t have a single scholarship offer from an FBS school coming out of high school.

Adams would appear to be the frontrunner to replace Marcus Mariota, though he’ll compete for the job with junior Jeff Lockie, freshman Morgan Mahalak, incoming freshman Travis Waller and Georgia Tech transfer Ty Griffin.