The quarterback position is one that the Oregon Ducks are constantly trying to stay ahead of. Five of their last seven starters have gone on to start at the next level, and they are expected to make it six of their last eight next year when Dante Moore enters the draft.

The Ducks were thought to have his replacement locked down in 2026 recruit Bryson Beaver, but he decided to enter the transfer portal after Moore announced his return. Time will tell if he made the right decision, because the guy who would have been his mentor used the 2024 season to learn behind Dillon Gabriel, and we see how well that worked out for him.

However, patience is a lost art in college football today, and Beaver wants to go to a school where he has a chance to play. It was revealed earlier today that he has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs for next season.

Georgia has been one of the premier college programs for what seems like forever, but they haven’t always developed great quarterbacks. The last NFL starter they produced was Matthew Stafford 18 years ago, so this is a bit of a puzzling decision for Beaver. It will be a difficult replacement for the Ducks to make, but luckily they have more than a year to secure the future of the position.

EUGENE — Oregon’s season is going from bad to worse as it is now without its two leading scorers amid the toughest stretch of the year.

Center Nate Bittle is expected to be out for approximately a month with a foot injury and point guard Jackson Shelstad will miss a fifth straight game due to a right hand injury.

It leaves the Ducks (8-9, 1-5 Big Ten) severely compromised entering Saturday’s game with No. 4 Michigan (15-1, 5-1).

“We’ve had some guys that wanted to play more, so here’s their opportunity,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We’ll see how they handle that opportunity.”

Altman said Bittle, who is averaging a team-high 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 blocks, injured his foot on UO’s second offensive possession at Nebraska on Tuesday and tried to play through it. Medical tests on Thursday didn’t show any broken bones, Altman said, but Bittle is out “probably a month, maybe more.”

“In his last year and obviously he’s been the guy we’ve been going through,” Altman said. “Tough break for him and feeling sorry for ourself, it’s a tough break for our team.”