Oregon fans hope it is a seamless transition from one great quarterback to another. There has been no bigger name over the offseason than Vernon Adams, Jr.. The transfer quarterback from Pasadena, California was expected to come in and compete for the starting quarterback position at Oregon right away.
Despite complications along the way, Adams transferred to Oregon and won the starting job. While he is not Marcus Mariota, Adams is expected to provide the Ducks with good quarterback play at the position. He provides Oregon with dual-threat capabilities that many of their quarterbacks have had. While playing at a smaller school, he performed well each time he played against FBS teams.
Here’s what you need to know about Eugene’s new favorite quarterback:
1. Vernon Adams Is a Graduate Transfer From Eastern Washington
Vernon Adams during his Eastern Washington days. (Getty)
Adams took advantage of an NCAA rule that players like Russell Wilson have made famous. The rule states that if a player graduates from one school he can transfer to a new school while retaining his eligibility. The stipulation is the new school must provide a graduate program that the previous school did not have.
Adams received his degree in interdisciplinary studies at Eastern Washington. He enrolled in Oregon’s Sport Management program, one of the best programs of its kind in the country.
2. Adams Has a Young Son
https://instagram.com/p/7TSW6JRPO7/?taken-by=vadams_qb
Adams frequently posts pictures of his son, Vernon Adams III, on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. One of the more difficult decisions for Adams was moving to Eugene while his son stayed with his former girlfriend, Cheyenne Merritt, at Eastern Washington.
“It was tough. Definitely the toughest decision of my life. But it just came down to me thinking about the future for me and my family, and I felt like this is the best opportunity for me to accomplish my dreams and provide for my family,” Adams told Comcast SportsNet.
3. No FBS School Offered Adams a Scholarship
Vernon Adams leads the Ducks in 2015. (Getty)
There were no FBS (formerly Division I) schools that offered Adams a scholarship coming out of high school. According to the USA Today, he was only offered scholarship by two FCS schools, Portland State and Eastern Washington. One of the main reasons for this was his height. He is listed at 6’0″ and 190 pounds.
4. Oregon Waited Into August for Adams to Pass a Math Class
https://instagram.com/p/6WFOALxPIq/?taken-by=vadams_qb
There was one class left for Adams to pass in order to graduate from Eastern Washington and become eligible to transfer to Oregon under the graduate transfer rule. According to ESPN, Adams originally failed the math class and had to retake it. On August 13th, just a few weeks before the start of the college football season, Adams posted the above photo on Instagram announcing he had graduated which made him eligible to officially transfer to Oregon.
Despite only being with the Ducks for a few weeks before the start of the season. He was able to win the starting quarterback position and start Week 1 against his former team, Eastern Washington. After Adams graduated, Oregon tweeted out the following announcement:
Vernon Adams has officially been added to the roster & is eligible to participate in team activities. #GoDucks http://t.co/Invf1mFOtV
5. Adams Played Well Against Teams like Washington and Oregon State
Despite playing at a smaller school, Adams played well against FBS opponents. In 2013, Adams led Eastern Washington to an upset-win over 25th ranked Oregon State. He was 23-of-30 for 411 yards and four touchdowns along with 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, Adams threw for 475 yards and seven touchdowns in a narrow loss to Washington. It is these type of games against FBS opponents that had Oregon and other schools pursuing Adams under the graduate transfer rule.
