Oregon Football: Tyler Shough is going to turn some heads in 2020

The post-Justin Herbert era may seem scary for Oregon football fans, but Tyler Shough has been preparing for this moment and will turn heads.

The post-Justin Herbert era is something Oregon fans were not looking forward to. He passed for over 10,000 yards during his Oregon career with 95 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions in each of his four seasons under center. He was Mr. Cool under center and never seemed to get too high or too low during games, calming the Ducks’ storms.

Even with coaching changes, Herbert remained level-headed and even became a projected No. 1 overall pick after his junior season but wanted to come back for one more year. That type of desire to finish the process is rare these days in the college ranks.

Herbert was one of a kind and replacing him won’t be easy, but the Ducks will have to in 2020 and many believed they’d look in the transfer portal with D’Eriq King or Jamie Newman, but those who had followed Oregon over the years knew they had a good one in the QB room already.

His name? Tyler Shough. Entering his sophomore season, the talented quarterback from Arizona was one of the top-100 players in his recruiting class and the sixth-best pro-style passer, per 247Sports. He was recruited by just about everyone and decided to head to the northwest and make Eugene his new home.

That will turn out to be the best decision he’s made because he’s about to be handed the keys to an offense that could be prolific.

Mario Cristobal is recruiting at a high level and adding more weapons to an already-explosive offense and with Shough running the show, there will be no steps back. Despite having to replace an All-American-caliber quarterback and a potential Day 1 NFL draft pick, Oregon will have one of the best first-year starters in all of college football in Shough.

Shough actually proved this during Oregon’s 2019 spring game, passing for 178 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-31 completions — and the Ducks’ defense is no joke.

Moreover, he has as many touchdowns (3) as incompletions during his Oregon career. In limited action, he’s 12-of-15 passing with 144 yards and three scores. He can sling the ball around and he’s incredibly accurate.

For those worries about the post-Herbert era in Eugene, rest easy knowing that Shough will take the reins and do an excellent job. This kid is going to be a stud.