Mariota Returning to Oregon in 2014
Marcus Mariota the highly talented quarterback of the Oregon Ducks announced on Tuesday he would return for another year to play for Oregon. His decision was good for his future and great for his school, as they immediately become the frontrunners for next season’s Pac-12 title.
NFL owners and coaches must wait another year for Mariota, as he will be busy preparing and the leading his Ducks toward what he hopes will be a national championship next season.
Oregon’s slide late in the season included losses to Stanford and then Arizona might have pushed the Ducks from this season’s national title conversation, but Oregon has been No. 2 in the BCS ranking during the final month of play for the past four seasons.
The Ducks have done that without the help of a third-year quarterback in prior seasons and next season due to the new playoff format only need to be in the top four to qualify for a chance at the national championship.
Oregon might have to retool its defense with Ifo Ekpre-Olomu possibly leaving early for the NFL and Boseko Lokombo graduating. However, offensively the team could be even more explosive than this season.
After each season since 2007, the Oregon program has not seen much decline with a need for recruiting to bring it up to par. This season is no different except for the fact the collection of talent returning is some much more impressive than in years past.
As well as announcing the return of Mariota, the school also said Hroniss Grasu their two-time all American center will return. Grasu and Tyler Johnstone, the 2012 All American as a freshman give the offensive line a great foundation.
If De’Anthony Thomas opts for the NFL, the school still has Thomas Tyner and Byron Marshall both of whom played exceptionally well while Thomas was sidelined with injuries.
This past season, the Oregon offense was No. 9 in the nation in rushing, No. 5 in scoring and No. 3 in total offense.
Then of course, Mariota enters the conversation. He is the best quarterback Oregon has had since the hurry up spread formation was adopted by the school.
Mariota is one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation already. An injury to his left knee took away any hope of the Heisman Trophy this season and was part of the reason the title pursuit for Oregon went awry this season. The ending of his season, could be why he is so motivated to return for another.
He did not need to return to improve his draft prospects as his two first seasons with Oregon have him as a top 10 pick in a number of mock drafts. Some have even projected the versatile quarterback as high as No. 2 overall.
Individually he does not have much more to move up, but he gives his school a legitimate opportunity to battle for a national championship next season.
In two seasons, Mariota has thrown for 6,089 yards, 62 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. He has great size, speed and vision on the field.
Oregon has seen national titles elude them in the past, but their future looks bright with Mariota returning for another year.
