From Hamilton High in Chandler, Arizona, Tyler Shough had two dozen scholarship offers, a list that included Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State, but also included Harvard, Columbia and Yale.

Three different Oregon head coaches have accidentally created a prototype for the Oregon quarterback position that Shough fits perfectly: tall, athletic, accurate and wickedly smart.

With spread offenses proliferating around the country all kinds of quarterbacks are putting up gaudy passing stats, but what leaps out here is the TD/Int ratio. Coaches look for a QB who averages at least 2/1 in this category as a standard--these three all took phenomenal care of the football as seniors, each racking of ratios of 5/1 or greater. That reflects poise, maturity and intelligence. Ultimately, those are the qualities that set them apart.

Comparisons are always tricky,, but Shough is more like Herbert than Mariota, a pocket passer with athletic ability rather than a preternaturally fast athlete with the ability to throw on the move. Like Herbert he has a cannon for an arm, capable of planting his long legs and delivering a football 55 yards downfield.

The first two throws of his highlight tape are lasers that settle into the chest of a receiver in stride. He stands in the pocket and launches the football, on time and accurate.

Give him targets that can get open, linemen that form a wall and this young man can shred a defense.

Hamilton coach Steve Belles hadn't started a non-senior at quarterback in 17 seasons, not since former ASU QB Chad Christensen started for him as a junior at Desert Mountain High in Scottsdale in 1999. Shough won the job as a junior, completing 62.3% of his passes his first season, for 2,079 yards and 27 TDs. His team lost in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

He filled out physically and applied himself at passing camps and 7-on-7 tournaments between seasons, breaking out with a big senior year that catapulted him in recruiting rankings, reaching 119 in the 2018 class despite being off the board earlier.

Another way Shough resembles his predecessors: the work ethic. New Hamilton coach Dick Baniszewski, speaking at an awards banquet where Shough was named Male Athlete of the Year among 3,800 students, said, "Tyler works like the 5-foot-8 guy who's never going to get to play but really loves the sport." He enrolled in January at Oregon, twice chosen as the Ducks Lifter of the Week among the quarterbacks in May.

Of course Shough has been on campus in Eugene for just a few months. Morgan Mahalak, Bryan Bennett and Jake Rodriguez all looked promising in high school highlight tapes. Travis Waller was a four-star recruit, Elite 11 participant and Steve Clarkson protege.

There's a limited sample size for Oregon's new heir apparent, but he wasn't intimidated at the Spring Game, 5-8 passing for 103 yards and two touchdowns. His first throw from scrimmage in an Oregon uniform was a 36-yard touchdown pass to Daewood Davis, who told reporters after the game, "He's going to be the man. That's all I can say. Watch out for that kid."

The new redshirt rule works in offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo's favor this year. The Ducks open the season with Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State at home in September, three tuneups before a September 22nd game at Autzen against Stanford.

Allowed now to play in four games without losing his redshirt, Shough should get an extensive trial, a package of snaps and game film that can boost his development as he prepares for an open competition at quarterback next spring.

Like Mariota before him Herbert is projected for the first round of the NFL draft. A new era beckons quickly. Cale Millen, Braxton Burmeister and Shough all want the keys to the red Ferrari, the most consistently explosive offense in college football over the last ten years.