Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu will return in 2014, the school announced on Tuesday. Mariota will be a junior next season, and Grasu will be a senior.
Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu returning to Oregon in 2014
Two key pieces of the Ducks’ offense will be back next season.
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Mariota has been one of college football’s most dynamic quarterbacks, and has received considerable Heisman buzz throughout the year. He’s completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,412 yards and an astonishing 30-4 touchdown-interception ratio. On the ground, he’s carried 81 times for 582 yards -- an average of 7.2 yards per attempt -- and nine more scores. Until the Ducks dropped two November games to Stanford and Arizona, Mariota was considered by some to be the Heisman front-runner.
“It is an honor to be a student at the University of Oregon and to have the opportunity to represent our institution on the football field alongside my teammates,” Mariota said in a school release. “I look forward to earning my degree next year and to the rest of my career at this great University.”
Grasu anchors the Oregon offensive line at center, and his decision to return must please Mariota. Standing 6’3 and weighing in at 297 pounds, he is on the Rimington Trophy watch list, ranking him among the best offensive linemen in America.
“The University of Oregon is a special place and I’m extremely happy to be returning for my senior year,” Grasu said in the release. “To be a student-athlete in this community is an honor and an experience I’ll continue to cherish with my teammates.”
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