The final spring practice for Oregon was also draft day for the Ducks’ coaches.
Offensive line coach Steve Greatwood and defensive coordinator Brady Hoke will coach one team during this Saturday’s spring game. Unsurprisingly, Greatwood selected a group of offensive linemen with the first pick in the draft. Offensive coordinator Matt Lubick, linebackers coach Don Pellum and defensive line coach Ron Aiken will coach the other team.
According to coaches, it wasn’t necessarily a “first pick, last pick” scenario when it came to picking players for each positions.
“How we kind of looked at it was it was like a coin toss,” quarterbacks coach David Yost said. Quarterbacks Dakota Prukop, Jeff Lockie and Taylor Alie will play on one team and Terry Wilson and Travis Jonsen will play on the other.
Lubick drew the short straw and ended up picking last in the draft. He said if he had first pick, he would have opted to stack his offensive line as well. He also wouldn’t tip his hand as to who the first quarterback taken was.
“That is top secret,” Lubbick said laughing. “The quarterback battle has been fun because it’s going back and forth. (Prukop and Jonsen) are both doing a great job and they’re both getting better. Coach Yost has done a great job with the learning curve on those guys.”
After four weeks of spring practice surrounded by gossip about who is leading the quarterback contest, fans will have a chance to see Jonsen and Prukop each lead the offense for the first time. Lubick said the idea on Saturday is to run Oregon’s base offense and not show “everything that we have.”
Pharaoh Brown did not confirm whether will take the field on Saturday, but did say his family and girlfriend will be in attendance.
“The chances that I will be playing on Saturday — I set that that goal for myself,” Brown said. “It would be a big thing to be able to come out here and take a few snaps at the line of scrimmage.”
“What’s really big for me is just being able to go out there and doing what I’m used to doing.”
The spring game will kickoff at 11 a.m. at Autzen Stadium and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
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