Column: When a lot is wrong with college football, Ty Thompson represents what’s right
I’m not sure there are many people in today’s college sports era that I respect more than Ty Thompson.
In a world where people chase opportunity, Thompson chose hard work. In a world where players often search for playing time and glamour, Thompson opted for development. In a world where it has become commonplace for athletes to pick up and move multiple times in their career, showing very little regard for the places that gave them a shot in the first place, Thompson showed loyalty.
Ultimately, it didn’t work out.
Thompson came to Eugene in 2021 as the highest-rated quarterback recruit to ever sign with the Oregon Ducks. He leaves Eugene after seeing another transfer portal QB arrive and jump him on the depth chart.
Many fans hoped Thompson would be named the Day 1 starter as a true freshman. They hoped he would become the next in a long line of dynamic and successful passers to play inside Autzen Stadium, building on the successes of Dennis Dixon, Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert.
Instead, Boston College transfer Anthony Brown won the job and led Oregon to a middling season. In 2022, it was thought to be Ty Thompson’s time with Brown off to the NFL and a year of growth at the college level. Nope. Dan Lanning and the new coaching staff brought in Auburn transfer Bo Nix, who wound up playing himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation before a late-season injury.
That injury might have hurt Thompson more than Nix because it was a major factor in the veteran QB deciding to stick around for the 2023 season, leaving QB13 to sit and wait for another year.
Now, with Nix off to the NFL after a magnificent season, the path finally opened for Thompson. He was the most veteran QB on the roster, and he showed a great many flashes in limited opportunities throughout the 2023 season. He paid his dues and was ready to cash in on that loyalty and hard work.
Hold the phone. Another roadblock.
On the morning of Dec. 9, just 10 days shy of the two-year anniversary of Nix’s transfer to Oregon, the Ducks announced another. Former Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel was coming to Eugene, taking over as the leading candidate to be the starter in 2024.
You don’t have to be close to to see where his frustration would come from.
Ultimately, I don’t blame Dan Lanning in the slightest for making the move. As the head coach of a major program, his single most important job is to make decisions that give his team the best opportunity to win a national championship. By adding Gabriel — a player with 125 TDs and 26 INTs in his career — he did just that. I applaud Lanning, Will Stein and Marshall Malchow for being able to see an area where they can improve their roster and being able to do so with a splash. As a fan of the Ducks, you should be excited, as well. This undoubtedly gives Oregon its best chance to be successful next year when it navigates the Big Ten Conference for the first time.
You can feel all of that excitement and still have an underlying sense of frustration and remorse on behalf of Thompson. I do.
As the former Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, Thompson picked the Ducks as his next destination and chose them to be the team that he played for in college. He’s had numerous opportunities to go elsewhere and find instant playing time, but he instead chose to stay where his feet were.
“Leaving was obviously an option, it’s an option for everybody,” Thompson said back at Oregon media day ahead of the 2023 season. “But I feel like for me, especially in this day and age, loyalty is a big thing to me, and I’m just sticking with the process knowing that something is going to happen for me here in Eugene, and I’m really excited for my time here.”
— ty thompson (@ty_thompson7) December 9, 2023
Now, with Gabriel’s addition to the roster, and Thompson’s subsequent transfer from the program, it’s obvious he will never be the guy in Eugene, as he so badly wanted to be.
The story is not over for Thompson. Far from it, actually. As a former blue-chip recruit who has shown flashes of being really good at the college level, he will certainly have opportunities to show how special he is on the field in due time. I, for one, wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him succeeding on Saturday afternoons as soon as 2024.
His story at Oregon has come to an end, though. For fans of college football who have grown so frustrated the transfer portal, name, image and likeness, and conference realignment have changed the sport, this is a tough blow.
In my opinion, Thompson did things the right way. He chose his school, dedicated himself to the team, and stayed loyal when the situation got tough. You don’t often see that anymore, but when you do it is endlessly refreshing.
“In this day and age, if something doesn’t go their way, they jump ship,” Thomspon said last August. “I’m not even saying that things aren’t going my way, but obviously, this isn’t the way that I pictured my time here going. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Ultimately, that loyalty was not rewarded. It’s no shame on Lanning or any of the coaches who made it so. They did what they were supposed to be the best team they could be.
Thompson also did everything he was supposed to in order to be the best player and the best teammate he could be. That should be celebrated endlessly. Ultimately, I can’t think of many things I respect more.
