Quack!!! 4* 2020 QB Commit, Jay Butterfield

[AutzenMember]

#2 Pro Style QB for 2020

https://247sports.com/college/oregon/Ar ... 131942111/

Profile:
https://247sports.com/Player/Jay-Butterfield-46047108/

[ncduck]

Fantastic!

[lukeyrid13]

Yuuuge.

[Tray Dub]

What a competition this is setting up to be next offseason. Shough, Cale and now Butterfield all seem very promising.

[UOducksTK1]

Yup!! Big time commit. Exciting to see who steps up next year, like Tray Dub said.

[maxduck]

Good get. Nemec had an interesting comment which speaks well of Marcus Arroyo and Mario. Also Butterfield is quoted saying Oregon plans to take 2 QB's this cycle.

Landing the nation's No. 2 pro-style QB less than week after being 2nd for nation's No. 1 QB is hard to do. It takes an honest approach, strong relationship building and offensive vision to show how you'd use each QB. From pure approach standpoint, this is more impressive than landing Kayvon Thibodeaux. Although from "get" standpoint, KT is obviously the higher ranked kid.

[greenyellow]

Kinda surprised he committed right now as I thought he may take a little longer. Not a bad consolation prize after missing on Uiagalelei.

[bigsugarduck]

This is great!

We often see the articles that compare past QB recruiting at Oregon. What I want to know from those who actually can assess film (because every recruit looks amazing to my eyes), how does JB look on film compared with MM and JH? Stars be damned, because there was a STRONG buzz about both MM and JH as QBs that were special in spite of the middling ratings. All the higher rated QBs lacked the buzz from my recollection...

[StevensTechU]

This is great!

We often see the articles that compare past QB recruiting at Oregon. What I want to know from those who actually can assess film (because every recruit looks amazing to my eyes), how does JB look on film compared with MM and JH? Stars be damned, because there was a STRONG buzz about both MM and JH as QBs that were special in spite of the middling ratings. All the higher rated QBs lacked the buzz from my recollection...

There's a lot to like, and I think his rating is appropriate (4*, .95 on 247sports).

In the numbers: His high school team has gone from 4-6 before he started playing, to 11-2 when he shared QB duties as a sophomore, to 13-1 when he was the full-time starter as a junior. That tells you he's impacting the game. He throws the ball downfield (17.5 yards per completion, which is great for a high school player) and increased his YPC compared to his sophomore year, albeit marginally, while increasing his completion % from 56% to 64%. He did throw more picks -- 11 INTs, which is hard to gauage. Were they bad throws? Tipped passes? Hard to know. Also on the negative side is that in his team's hardest game of the season, against De La Salle, he was just 9-for-20 and threw 4 INTs while his team manufactured only 7 points. Those games are really important because those tell you how a player performs when the going gets tough. Mariota throttled all competition, albeit in Hawai'i, and Justin Herbert had big games in both his outings against Jesuit as a high school player. Butterfield's team won the state championship against Sierra Canyon, but he was just 11-for-21 yet benefited from 188 yds from his running back.

On film: Butterfield looks like an inexperienced college player. The physical tools and general feel look like they're there. He makes lots of different throws, has a big arm but can take off velocity to throw a catchable ball. Most of his completions are to his #1 read, but shows you some ability to scan the field and improvise a little. He doesn't appear to do any single item as a QB exceptionally well (improvisation, escapability, throw guys open, etc.) but rather does seemingly everything above average for his age but not yet at the level he'll need in the Pac-12 (entirely reasonable of a 16 yr old). Scouting him, he looks like a guy with all the tools, but it's hard to see whether he has the "it" factor like Mariota and Vernon Adams had. Those guys, you knew if you needed your QB to make a play, they were going to find a way, and they'd been doing it since high school. Though Butterfield's performances against the best competition isn't great, he doesn't appear visibly rattled.

I'll tune back in come October or so and see how much growth he's made and post again if I can.

[Hoagduck]

Skinny as hell, but has his whole senior year, plus at least 2 years as a backup at Oregon, so he'll fill out like Shough did. The Nick Foles comparison is probably only because he's 6-6, but still, high upside. We clearly like our tall boys.

[lukeyrid13]

Here are my thoughts on his film

Good
- Strong arm
- Good touch on his throws
- Confident in his throws

Bad
- Rarely plants his back foot
- Can try to hard to squeeze in throws

TBD
- Ability to scan the field

My main gripe with him is that he never plants his foot to gain leverage and steady himself. I think if we can improve his footwork that the sky is the limit.

[rsbgduck]

There's a lot to like, and I think his rating is appropriate (4*, .95 on 247sports).

In the numbers: His high school team has gone from 4-6 before he started playing, to 11-2 when he shared QB duties as a sophomore, to 13-1 when he was the full-time starter as a junior. That tells you he's impacting the game. He throws the ball downfield (17.5 yards per completion, which is great for a high school player) and increased his YPC compared to his sophomore year, albeit marginally, while increasing his completion % from 56% to 64%. He did throw more picks -- 11 INTs, which is hard to gauage. Were they bad throws? Tipped passes? Hard to know. Also on the negative side is that in his team's hardest game of the season, against De La Salle, he was just 9-for-20 and threw 4 INTs while his team manufactured only 7 points. Those games are really important because those tell you how a player performs when the going gets tough. Mariota throttled all competition, albeit in Hawai'i, and Justin Herbert had big games in both his outings against Jesuit as a high school player. Butterfield's team won the state championship against Sierra Canyon, but he was just 11-for-21 yet benefited from 188 yds from his running back.

On film: Butterfield looks like an inexperienced college player. The physical tools and general feel look like they're there. He makes lots of different throws, has a big arm but can take off velocity to throw a catchable ball. Most of his completions are to his #1 read, but shows you some ability to scan the field and improvise a little. He doesn't appear to do any single item as a QB exceptionally well (improvisation, escapability, throw guys open, etc.) but rather does seemingly everything above average for his age but not yet at the level he'll need in the Pac-12 (entirely reasonable of a 16 yr old). Scouting him, he looks like a guy with all the tools, but it's hard to see whether he has the "it" factor like Mariota and Vernon Adams had. Those guys, you knew if you needed your QB to make a play, they were going to find a way, and they'd been doing it since high school. Though Butterfield's performances against the best competition isn't great, he doesn't appear visibly rattled.

I'll tune back in come October or so and see how much growth he's made and post again if I can.

Thank you very much, that was well done StevensTechU. Couldn’t agree more. The only negatives I’ve heard on Butter (he better never have a problem handling snaps w/that name ) are his weight vs height and holding up physically in power 5 play. I don’t see it being an issue in the future, sure I’ve seen skeletons that have more meat on them than Butterfield does however I have the upmost respect and confidence in The Stash. The second is his mobility, he is a pure pocket passer. He’s good at stepping left, right or up in the pocket to avoid the rush/blitz. Again the kid is what 16 and has the frame to be able to put on all the weight he will need at this level. He definitely has the pocket presence, awareness and the ability to feel pressure and that’s rare at his age. I have no doubt with a little specialized training his scrambling abilities will improve. This kids upside is through the roof. With a couple big victories and moderately improved numbers, realistically could he add a fifth star? The glaring issue is level of competition.

GO DUCKS!!!

[GoDucksIn09]

I am never going to be qualified to assess talent. I do have a question though. If he does not have the IT factor, plant his foot, and tries to squeeze the ball in impossible windows is he worth the 4 star rating. Those are all critical issues at the level of competition find in the Pac 12. I know he is tall and makes some good throws from what have read. The interception ratio seems to be getting worse as he gets older. Many factors could be in that. I do not know why they have increased. Is the rating just because of his size?

[duckduckgoose]

I am never going to be qualified to assess talent. I do have a question though. If he does not have the IT factor, plant his foot, and tries to squeeze the ball in impossible windows is he worth the 4 star rating. Those are all critical issues at the level of competition find in the Pac 12. I know he is tall and makes some good throws from what have read. The interception ratio seems to be getting worse as he gets older. Many factors could be in that. I do not know why they have increased. Is the rating just because of his size?

His size and he looks good in his uniform...


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[StevensTechU]

I am never going to be qualified to assess talent. I do have a question though. If he does not have the IT factor, plant his foot, and tries to squeeze the ball in impossible windows is he worth the 4 star rating. Those are all critical issues at the level of competition find in the Pac 12. I know he is tall and makes some good throws from what have read. The interception ratio seems to be getting worse as he gets older. Many factors could be in that. I do not know why they have increased. Is the rating just because of his size?

No, not just because of size, though that is frequently a thing. It's not uncommon for players to get high rankings for 'looking the part.' That said, athletic ability is something you want to consider -- there are the Carson Wentzes out there.

Between his physical attributes including arm strength, pocket presence, general command of an offense, ability to read a defense, etc. etc. -- all assessed based on being 16 or 17 yrs old -- he's worthy of a high 4-star. He could be a future NFL draft pick, or he could be the next Morgan Mahalak.