Dan Lanning could take Oregon's QB competition right up to kickoff against Georgia
Have you made a decision at quarterback, Dan Lanning?
“I’m not telling you,” he shot back after practice on Thursday.
OK, then.
The Ducks are keeping the quarterback competition close to the vest as they approach kickoff against the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs next Saturday. Lanning has been quick to shut down the quarterback questions and coy on differentiators between Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and Jay Butterfield.
Maybe it’s for Georgia’s benefit. (The likely explanation.) Maybe the competition is just so close the Ducks’ coaching staff simply needs more data to decide.
“Everyday evaluation,” Lanning said when asked what they’re looking for in any camp battle, not just at quarterback. “We chart everything. We watch every single period. The only reason I’m not really talking about it with you guys is I don’t know why that’s an advantage for us. If I felt like it was an advantage, I’d tell you guys. I don’t.”
Lanning can tell us one thing at this point, though.
He won’t be in at quarterback.
“When you guys see that first snap, we’ll see who’s out there on the field,” he said.
Nix is viewed as the likely winner of the competition after starting for three years at Auburn. In transferring to Oregon this offseason, he was reunited with current UO offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, his OC at Auburn in 2019 when he won the SEC’s Freshman of the Year award.
Thompson is viewed as Nix’s primary competition for the job. A blue-chip prospect, when he signed with the Ducks in 2021, he became the highest-rated quarterback to do so during the 247Sports era. Last year, he was the primary backup to Anthony Brown and, as such, only attempted 15 passes in three appearances.
Nix has the experience. But it sounds like we won’t know if he has the job until 12:30 p.m. PT on Sept. 3.