There are some interesting quarterback battles happening around the conference, whether that be for the starting job, the backup or some competitions that don't even have all participants around for the spring. Here's a look at a few of the more interesting battles...
OREGON
The competition for the Ducks isn't really going to heat up until this summer when Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams enrolls. Holly Rowe recently spoke with Adams about his move to the FBS level and Adams said that a big part of the move was about proving himself to NFL scouts (and to himself) at the next level. "I think guys and NFL scouts will see me down at Eastern [Washington]," Adams told Rowe. "But it's like, I'm a 5-[foot]-11 quarterback doing it at the FCS level, so it's like, 'Dang, OK, he's doing it there's but it's not at the top competition. Now if he's 5-11 doing it at the Pac-12 level every week, you know, then hey, we can't knock him.' "
So, Adams sounds pretty confident coming into the QB competition, but there are already a few guys on campus battling through these spring practices. Recently, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said Jeff Lockie, Marcus Mariota's longtime back up, has been "outstanding." Helfrich told Pete Martini of the Statesman Journal that Ty Griffin and Travis Jonsen have both "taken some steps forward" while Taylor Alie "has done some good things." That leaves out Morgan Mahalak, but it's probably less of an indication about Mahalak's skill level and more of an indication that a reporter didn't specifically ask about Mahalak as Helfrich normally spreads the praise pretty wide in spring ball.
But as of now it sounds like it'll be a Locke-Adams brawl this fall, which should be fun to watch. Lockie was recently on The Oregonian's podcast and chatted a bit about the QB competition (as well as a few other less Oregon-ish topics).
CAL
The biggest QB news coming out of Berkeley was that quarterback/safety Luke Rubenzer took his first live snaps at signal-caller during Monday's practice.
It sounds like part of that was because Sonny Dykes kept a few offensive guys to very limited reps (and that included quarterback Jared Goff), which opened up some snaps for players like Rubenzer.
"I thought he did OK," Dykes said of Rubenzer. "We had some designed quarterback runs. It's tough to say because he's in a red [no contact] jersey so it's tough for him to finish. But, hard to know with some of the quarterback runs and things he has got going. But I thought he did fine, thought he threw the ball well, looked comfortable. He has still been working, doing a lot of fundamental stuff at quarterback."
Dykes also said he was pleased with Chase Forrest and Ross Bowers. According to Dykes, Forrest has apparently completed more than 75 percent of his passes this spring.
"From that position, we came into the spring a little bit unknown just because we had two young players," Dykes said. "Both of them have performed at a really high level. I think we're comfortable with those guys and it's going to give us an opportunity to give us a really good, long look at Luke as a safety."
OREGON STATE
The Oregonian's Gina Mizell went a little more in-depth on the inner workings of, or rather what led up to, the transfer of Luke Del Rio, who's now looking for his third school in as many years.
During the Beavers scrimmage last Sunday Nick Mitchell and Seth Collins alternated reps with the first- and second-team units. Mitchell, according to Mizell, took the field first. Whether you want to read into that is your prerogative. It could very likely just be a flip-of-the-coin type thing. Before Del Rio's departure, the coaches had narrowed the quarterback field to three with Del Rio, Mitchell and Collins. Now, with Del Rio gone, it sounds like some reps have opened up for Marcus McMaryion, who got one drive with the second team last weekend.
WASHINGTON
The Huskies, like Oregon, aren't at full strength this spring at the quarterback position. With Cyler Miles taking a voluntary leave from the program this spring it has opened up reps for Jake Browning, K.J. Carta-Samuels and Jeff Lindquist, and it sounds like those players are doing well in Miles' absence.
"I would say that there’s progress being made," Washington coach Chris Petersen told Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. "That we definitely see. At that position, certainly with these new guys, it’s going to be two steps forward, one step back. But we’re certainly seeing two steps forward."
According to Jude's report from Monday's practice Browning showed off a bit of mobility even though he's not mobile in the ways that Lindquist and Carta-Samuels are mobile.