Oregon quarterback Ty Thompson’s cryptic post on social media is a great representation of how brutal the transfer portal can be for athletes who are unable to control the circumstances around them. He may or may not be leaving Eugene for a new program in the near future.
Thompson posted the following to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday:
It is unclear as to what the post might mean. However, it came just a few hours after former Oklahoma and UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel announced that he had committed to play for the Ducks in 2024.
Thompson might not choose to stick around and wait for his next opportunity in 2025. The former four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2021 committed to Oregon out of Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He was expected to take over for Bo Nix.
That is no longer the case.
Nix is out. Gabriel is in.
Barring unforeseen circumstance, Ty Thompson will serve as the backup once again. It is a harsh reality.
Shortly after the Ducks lost in the Pac-12 Championship this year, Thompson posted a photo of himself that alluded to it being his time to takeover. It was as if he was announcing his intentions to lead Oregon into the future.
He is motivated by a loss to Utah in the Pac-12 title game during his freshman season.
Now, seven days later, Gabriel is en route to Eugene and Thompson is relegated to the backup spot because of a transfer for the second year in a row. His head coach, Dan Lanning, passed him over.
He never even got a shot.
There is always a chance that Thompson could blow Lanning away by out-playing Gabriel during spring and summer ball. However, the odds are slim that Gabriel won’t be the starter next fall.
As a result, where Thompson thought that it was finally his time to shine, he is seemingly set to enter the transfer portal in search of a new opportunity. Brutal!