Oregon Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017
By Zach Bigalke
Last year, Mark Helfrich thought he could go the FCS transfer route to fill his vacancy at quarterback. After successfully integrating Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams Jr. into the lineup in 2015, Helfrich brought in Montana State’s Dakota Prukop to compete for the starting job in 2016.
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Prukop, though, lasted just five games as the starter before getting yanked and replaced against Washington State in October. After the failed experiment, Helfrich turned to true freshman and Eugene native Justin Herbert to lead the offense.
Getting his first start at Autzen Stadium against rival Washington, Herbert threw an interception on his first college passing attempt. From there things improved as Herbert settled into the starting role. In seven starts, Herbert went just 2-5 in terms of winning and losing. But he also passed for nearly 2,000 yards and threw for 19 touchdowns against four interceptions on the season.
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Herbert isn’t a dual threat in the mold of past Ducks quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota or Dennis Dixon. Instead, he is a confident young leader who could develop into the next great Oregon passer. If Herbert’s freshman numbers translate over the course of a full season, he could throw for nearly 4,000 passing yards and 35-40 touchdowns in 2017.