Your Oregon QB battle rumors update for August 26th:
Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams can't talk to the media outside of the confines of Oregon football's practice complex due to the program's first-year player rule, but what he did say in a recent in-complex interview may be telling when it comes to his competition with incumbent Jeff Lockie for the team's starting QB spot.
"I'm nowhere close to knowing the whole playbook like Jeff does," Adams said. "I'm going to keep studying my playbook, watching extra film, learning from my mistakes."
One thing that Adams has going for him is the fact that the coaching staff has already labeled him as a quick learner with the leaps-and-bounds progress he seemingly makes every practice. As for Adams himself, he's just glad to be back on the field for a temporary respite from the news-cycle hype surrouning his transfer to Oregon.
"If you ever see me out here, you see me dancing to the music and stuff. I'm just so happy," Adams said. "I haven't played football for so long, I wasn't with the team and now I'm out here grinding and we're competing for starting jobs."
While Adams has been anointed the heir apparent to Marcus Mariota by many pundits watching the program, junior Jeff Lockie has continuity and coaches' trust on his side. Don't undersell the draw for Oregon's coaching staff that Lockie's time behind Mariota provides.
At this point, we've got Adams as a slight favorite, with the possibility of a (temporary) split-snap arrangement out there for the season opener at Autzen agains Adams' old buddies at Eastern Washington.
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