As if Oregon football needed more riches, the story of Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota shows that prosperity can be a product of luck.
The favorite to win this year’s Heisman Trophy, Mariota was born in Honolulu to parents of Samoan decent. He grew up idolizing another quarterback on the Hawaiian Islands with Samoan blood, Jeremiah Masoli, who played at Oregon from 2008-09.
Mariota followed Masoli to St. Louis School, a traditional football power in Honolulu. In 2010, with Mariota still months shy of his 17th birthday, he participated in a summer football camp at Oregon. Current Ducks coach Mark Helfrich, then offensive coordinator to Chip Kelly, was so impressed with Mariota he convinced Kelly to offer the Hawaiian a scholarship — although Mariota had not yet become the St. Louis Crusaders’ starting quarterback.
“I’ve been fortunate,” Mariota has said.
Mariota was named Hawaii’s Gatorade player of the year for 2010 after his senior season, his lone year as a starter. That local stardom did not attract a horde of recruiters. Mariota was rated only a three-star prospect by , and he picked Oregon over Memphis, the only other major-college program to offer a scholarship.
Mariota redshirted during his first season at Oregon (2011), and the rest is history. He filled out his lanky, 6-foot-5 frame to almost 220 pounds and maintained his sprinter’s speed. Almost immediately in 2012, he earned a spot among the nation’s elite as a redshirt freshman.
Talk about hitting the jackpot. As a 16-year-old, Mariota already could fling a football 70 yards. And his long strides enabled him to clock 4.5 seconds for 40 yards.
But his best attribute, Helfrich likes to say, is a relentless desire to improve.
“Every single day, Marcus shows up and asks a really great question,” Helfrich said this week while taking a break from preparations for the Ducks’ game Saturday (2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network) against visiting Colorado. “He wants to do everything better.
“Where he’s at now, in a lot of ways, it’s because of what he has done to make that happen,” said Helfrich, a former CU offensive coordinator. “Marcus has improved his accuracy. And his leadership continues to develop … from being a very quiet, humble kid when he got here to now being a vocal, humble kid.”
If Mariota does not become the first player selected in the 2015 NFL draft, he won’t have to wait long to hear his name called. In three seasons, Mariota has thrown for more than 9,000 yards with 92 touchdown passes against just 12 interceptions.
And barring an upset loss by Oregon, Mariota will lead the Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) into the inaugural College Football Playoff. Mariota would become Oregon’s first Heisman winner. But he does not want to hear about any of that.
“I just go about my business,” Mariota said. “I just focus on what I have to do and try to get better for this team and not worry about what others think. I can always find ways to get better.”
Colorado defensive coordinator Kent Baer said Mariota ranks among the best quarterbacks he has ever coached against and may well be at the top of the list. Baer began his college coaching career in 1977.
“His athleticism sets him apart,” Baer said. “I mean, he’s a heck of a thrower. And if he can’t beat you with his arm, he will beat you with his feet. He creates so many problems for a defense. There’s nobody on the field fast enough to catch him.”
Colorado senior defensive lineman Juda Parker doesn’t go out of his way to say “I told you so.” But Parker, a fellow Hawaiian and a high school teammate of Mariota’s, said he knew the quarterback would become something special.
“You can find a diamond in the rough,” Parker said. “Marcus didn’t go to a lot of college camps, so he wasn’t going to get the big recruiting ranking. But if you saw him, you knew how good he could be.”
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
2014 Heisman hopefuls
Here are the top candidates, in order, as chosen by Denver Post college reporter Tom Kensler:
1. Marcus Mariota, junior QB, Oregon — Exceptional athlete and leader tops the nation in passing efficiency, and has 29 touchdown passes against only two interceptions.
2. Melvin Gordon, junior RB, Wisconsin — With 408 yards rushing last week against Nebraska, he broke a 15-year-old, single game NCAA record — while playing in just three quarters.
3. Dak Prescott, junior QB, Mississippi State — The Louisiana native has made the Bulldogs nationally relevant and may carry them to the College Football Playoff.
4. Amari Cooper, junior WR, Alabama — A human highlight reel, but a receiver has not won the Heisman since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991.
5. Trevone Boykin, junior QB, TCU — The flashy dual-threat playmaker ranks third nationally in total offense.
