The quarterback battle will sort itself out. Oregon has two terrific candidates in Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota, and Chip Kelly’s history shows clearly he’s adept at plugging a guy in at qb and making it work. But at tight end, the Ducks have to replace David Paulson, a team leader and MVP who was exceptionally steady and reliable.
Colt Lyerla is an enigma. He’s phenomenally talented, almost NFL ready at 6-5, 238 with a 40-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot broad jump. He’s a physical mismatch for any strong safety in the country, catching 7 passes for 147 yards as a freshman, a 21.0 average, five of those for touchdowns. Lyerla made big plays from the beginning. He had three tds in Oregon’s first two home games.
photo right: One of the most touted, decorated recruits to come out of the state, Colt Lyerla is slated for a crucial role in the Oregon offense (rivals.com photo).
But there are questions about the Hillsboro High Product. The former Army All-American missed five games as a freshman, didn’t record a stat at the Rose Bowl, and was held out of much of spring practice and the Spring Game. There have been murmurs about his off-field and academic focus. He’s been slow to learn the playbook, and some doubt whether he’s ready to replace the uber-consistent Paulson.
The Ducks demand a lot from their tight end, who lines up in multiple locations, goes in motion frequently, lead blocks on running plays, and runs routes designed to attack all three levels of the defense from sideline to sideline. Lyerla’s proven he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands, but can he stay healthy, on track, and dead solid perfect in knowing his assignments?
If he does achieve his awesome potential, the Oregon offense instantly becomes more potent, particularly in the red zone where his frame and leaping ability give him an unreal advantage in one-on-one coverage. De’Anthony Thomas demands the double teams. If Lyerla is full-go for a full season, he can be as productive as any tight end Oregon has ever had, and they’ve had a long line of good ones: Francis, Wilcox, Spence, Peele, Wrightster, Rosario, Dickson, Paulson. All of them played at the next level, several grace the Webfoot record book and Hall of Fame, and Colt could be the best one ever. But he has to block, line up in the right place, and go to class. He has to decide how good he wants to be.
It’s especially important because the depth chart at tight end is full of unproven talent. Behind him are a couple of walk-ons and three freshmen. Likely to be next in line is Evan Baylis, a 6-6, 232-lb. true freshman from Grandview High School in Centennial Colorado. Baylis enrolled early and caught two passes in the spring game, lauded by position coach Tom Osborne as one of the quickest studies he had ever coached. He’s tough, too. As a senior all-state linebacker he recorded 108 tackles, while catching 24 passes for 225 yards at tight end. Another freshman, Pharoah Brown of Lyndhurst, Ohio, wowed Ducks coaches with his all-around athletic ability. He’s 6-6, 230, a former high school quarterback like Paulson. Brown was also an all-conference basketball player, 18 points and 11 rebounds a game as a prep senior, so you know he has good hands and feet for the tight end position. He didn’t come until summer workouts, so his learning curve to contribute right away is very steep.
Given all this, the Ducks biggest asset at tight end may be their position coach. Osborne tutored a number of those tight ends that made it to The League, and he’s one of the best in the country at teaching and developing young players. Oregon runs a play every 16 seconds. His tight ends will not only have to be up to speed; they’ll have to be at blur-fast ridiculous De’Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner speed. There’s no time for a detour to party with the sorority girls. The Ducks have a date to defend a three-time conference championship and enter the season as one of the top five teams in the country. This is a year where their dreams are only limited by their commitment.
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