Mariota calls it for Pac-10 school
It was no secret that Oregon was the favorite for Marcus Mariota but the Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis pro-style quarterback couldn't commit until he visited campus. That trip happened last week and Mariota sealed it with his pledge this past weekend.
"Coach (Chip) Kelly has a visit-first policy where he doesn't take verbal commitments until the player actually shows up on campus and takes a tour and works out," Mariota said.
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"I did that last week. I was up at their camp and I did the workouts and they offered and I came home and my family and I talked about everything. We felt Oregon was the best fit for me."
It was not an incredibly difficult decision for Mariota, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound prospect who has liked Oregon for some time. The Ducks have long been a favorite.
Memphis had also offered and he was receiving interest from Washington, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado Arizona and others but everything fit together well once he made it to Eugene.
"It was a great college town and everything there is so Ducks-oriented," Mariota said.
"I liked the atmosphere a lot and it just felt like an even bigger high school. Everyone is behind you and supports you. It felt great to walk around and see everybody and they're all rooting for you."
Mariota, one of the top quarterbacks at the Los Angeles NIKE Camp, is the third quarterback to commit to Oregon this recruiting cycle.
Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna's Jerrard Randall committed in mid-June and Kerrville (Texas) Tivy's Johnny Manziel picked the Ducks last week.
Mariota, rated as the third-best prospect in the Hawaii state rankings by Rivals.com, is fine with the competition. He said it's going to make him a better quarterback and all he's looking for is a chance to get on the field.
"I just want to go in there and compete," Mariota said. "Everybody has a fair shot at the job. It's only going to make us better as quarterbacks too to go in and compete and work hard and push each other."