Add one more quarterback to the competition in Eugene, Oregon to replace Heisman Trophy quarterback Marcus Mariota. Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams announced Monday on his Twitter account he is transferring to Oregon for his final season of eligibility.
Adams is a two-time runner-up for the Walter Payton Trophy, which is the FCS equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. He was named the Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year each of the past two seasons and is expected to be a good fit in Oregon’s offense once he gets his hands on the playbook and begins working with his new team.
There were some previous concerns over whether or not this sort of transfer would be a possibility. Adams is scheduled to graduate this spring, so he would be eligible to play at any FBS program in the fall under standard NCAA transfer rules regarding FBS programs.Oregon it is! First off, I want to thank God for this amazing opportunity. I want to thank all of… http://t.co/yMkAHNt1f2
— Vernon Adams Jr. (@vadams_qb) February 9, 2015
As fate would have it, Oregon’s first game of the 2015 season will be at home against Eastern Washington. Whether or not Adams will be the starter for Oregon will be determined later, although he certainly arrives in Eugene with plenty of skill and experience to be a solid contender for the starting job following the early departure of Mariota.
Oregon’s interest in Adams appeared to spark the interest of other major programs in need of a quarterback in the fall, including UCLA and Texas. Might this be a new trend in college football, where FBS programs look for FCS stars set to graduate in the spring to help pad the roster or even fill needs on the roster for the following fall?