Vernon Adams pulled up in a cart and hobbled over to stand in front of the assembled media. The star junior quarterback with arms covered in tattoos and eye black under his left eye had just thrown for 354 yards and four touchdowns while completely befuddling Idaho State’s defense.
ISU coach Mike Kramer called him the greatest quarterback in the history of the Big Sky Conference before his team lost a 56-53 thriller to the Eagles. Adams proved he might also be one of the toughest, playing the second half with two broken metatarsal bones in his right foot.
Idaho State chased Adams all over the field that day, but he kept making plays and extending drives. The splintered bones kept him out of the next four games of the season and likely cost Adams the Walter Payton Award. He finished second in the voting, just ahead of ISU’s Justin Arias and behind Villanova’s John Robertson.
It was the second straight season Adams finished as a runner-up for the Payton, the equivalent of the Heisman trophy in the FCS. He would have been the runaway favorite to win the award as a senior at Eastern Washington.
But Adams won’t be in the running for that trophy, not after deciding to transfer to the University of Oregon on Monday morning.
Adams took to Instagram to announce his decision.
“Oregon it is! First off, I want to thank God for this amazing opportunity. I want to thank all of Eagle Nation for all the love and support. Want to thank every single one of my teammates for pushing me to be a better man/athlete everyday these past 4 years.”
Why and how is Adams making the move to Oregon? The how part is simple. Adams was a redshirt junior at Eastern Washington. He’ll graduate from EWU in June and can transfer and play immediately as a fifth-year senior at Oregon.
Eastern Washington Athletic Director Bill Chaves had an interesting comment regarding Adams’ resolution to become a Duck.
“We wish Vernon the best in his future endeavors and thank him for all that he has done for Eastern,” Chaves said in a statement. “The chance for him to pursue this opportunity is certainly a unique one given the fifth-year transfer rule. We are not sure that this was the actual intent of the legislation when it was approved, but it is the rule currently in place that we and potentially other schools have to adhere to.”
Chaves, who is one of the best athletic directors in the Big Sky, doesn’t sound pleased.
He shouldn’t be.
In three seasons, Adams threw for 10,438 yards and a Big-Sky record 110 touchdowns. Those kinds of ear-splitting numbers are why Kramer said, “He’s as good of a quarterback who’s played in this conference. And I’ve seen them all, every one of them. He’s better than them all.”
Now, why is Adams transferring to Oregon? The answers are straightforward: It’s a chance to prove he’s an elite quarterback by competing in the Pac-12. Oregon just lost Heisman-winning Marcus Mariota, and Adams can slide right in and help the Ducks get back to the four-team playoff.
I guess that’s the logic. Adams told The Oregonian, “I just thought this would be a great opportunity for my family and myself to accomplish things that I've been dreaming about since I was little. Heisman, national championship, playing at the Rose Bowl and playing at Oregon. I love it here at Eastern, but this is what I've been dreaming about."
Frankly, I find the decision disappointing. As a lover of Big Sky football, it’s disheartening to hear a quarterback like Adams claim he needs a bigger stage.
What exactly does Adams hope to prove at Oregon that he hasn’t already at Eastern Washington? The NFL has 38 games worth of video from Adams’ time at EWU. If they aren’t convinced he can play at the next level, why would throwing six touchdowns against Washington State be the final factor that proves he can?
Adams is a top-notch college quarterback. Nothing at Oregon will prove or disprove that fact. He’s also a marginal NFL prospect. While he’s listed at 6-0, 200 pounds, he’s a heck of a lot closer to 5-10, 185.
Is an NFL team more likely to draft Adams because he played one year at Oregon? Maybe. But it feels like Adams is turning his back on the school and football program where he evolved into the player he is today.
Adams dominated the Big Sky but not the rest of the nation. Eastern Washington has won the last three Big Sky championships but never advanced to the FCS championship game. Last December, Eastern Washington lost to Illinois State 59-46 at home in the quarterfinals. Towson and Sam Houston State upset the Eagles on the red turf in the semifinals the two seasons before that.
Ultimately, Adams made a business decision. And college football, even at the FCS level, is a business. He made EWU better and raised the school’s profile in his time there.
Adams doesn’t owe Eastern Washington anything.
It just stinks for the Big Sky Conference and the Eagles that Adams decided not to try and finish what he started.
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