Yesterday we noted that Louisville wide receiver Paul Carter had legally changed his name to Alphonso Carter. We also noted how it seemed like a rather rare occurrence for a player at the collegiate level.
As it turns out, it’s not all that rare -- at least as far as yesterday is concerned.
A short time after Louisville announced the naming news via Twitter, Oregon quarterback Travis Waller took to the same social media site to reveal something similar. In a tweet, Waller announced to his followers that, moving forward, he will be “Travis Zion Jonsen.” According to the player, the name change is in honor of his mom and his grandmother’s maiden name.
It wasn’t clarified as to whether Jonsen legally changed his name.
I have changed my name to "Travis Zion Jonsen". The last name "Jonsen" will be honoring my mom and grandma's maiden name.
— Travis Jonsen (@travisjonsen) March 31, 2015
The news is somewhat of a big deal as Jonsen, as Waller, was one of the most highly-touted players at his position in the most recent recruiting cycle.
A four-star member of the Ducks’ 2015 recruiting class, Jonsen was rated as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country; the No. 10 player at any position in the state of California; and the No. 49 player overall according to Rivals.com. Along with running back Taj Griffin and defensive end Canton Kaumatule, Jonsen was the top-rated player in UO’s class.
Jonsen might get a look at replacing Marcus Mariota under center, although the favorites for that job heading into summer camp will likely be redshirt junior and current favorite Jeff Lockie, redshirt freshman Morgan Mahalak and prized Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams.
(Photo credit: Rivals.com)