Helfrich's quarterback missteps at root of his downfall

Just two years after leading Oregon to the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game, head coach Mark Helfrich was relieved of his duties at the school on Tuesday night. So how did he fall so fast? There were plenty of factors that ultimately led to his downfall, but none might be bigger than the failure to recruit a replacement at quarterback for Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

We take a deeper look at the prospects the Ducks signed at the position from 2012-16.

MORE: Recruits react to Helfrich news | Ducks opt for change at top

As a recruit: Rodrigues was one of the top quarterbacks in the country in the 2012 class, with programs such as USC, UCLA, Miami and others lining up to sign him. But Oregon won out, landing a commitment from Rodrigues in May 2011.

As a Duck: After redshirting due to a foot injury in 2012, Rodrigues battled for the backup quarterback job to Mariota, but ultimately ended up further down the depth chart. He played in two games, throwing for 67 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Following that year he transferred to San Diego State, where he sat out a year due to transfer rules. He never saw the field for the Aztecs before quitting the team prior to the 2016 season.

As a recruit: Oregon surprised some when they took a commitment from Lockie, a three-star who had only one other FBS offer, via San Diego State. Helfrich himself recruited Lockie, who committed in July despite the highly-touted Rodrigues already in the class.

As a Duck: Lockie redshirted his first year on campus and then spent the next two seasons as Mariota’s backup, and even came in as a backup when Mariota was briefly knocked out of the national title game with an injury. But when given the opportunity to win the job in 2015, Lockie was beat out by graduate transfer Vernon Adams. He got back on the field when Adams was injured, but was ineffective. Lockie fell so far down the depth chart in 2016 that he didn’t attempt a pass.

As a recruit: Hobbs had quite the recruitment for a three-star, first committing to Arkansas State and then-coach Gus Malzahn, before flipping to Utah State after Malzahn got the head job at Auburn. But shortly after Helfrich took over for Chip Kelly in January 2013, Helfrich targeted Hobbs as his quarterback for the 2013 class. Hobbs officially visited and committed to Oregon just prior to National Signing Day.

As a Duck: After redshirting in 2013, Hobbs left Oregon in the spring of 2014 to transfer to Utah State. Hobbs sat out the 2014 season and has played sparingly during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

As a recruit: Mahalak famously backed up eventual No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Jared Goff in high school and, despite limited high school playing time prior to his senior year, Oregon accepted his commitment in the spring of 2013. He committed to the Ducks over schools such as Duke, N.C. State and Oregon State.

As a Duck: Mahalak redshirted during Mariota’s final season at the school in 2014 and was expected by many fans to be a competitor for the starting job in 2015. Instead, he fell behind Adams, Lockie and walk-on Taylor Alie and didn’t see the field in 2015. He transferred to FCS program Towson earlier this year, where he played in five games this season.

As a recruit: Waller was the highest-profile quarterback commit signed by Helfrich during his time at Oregon, whether it be as an assistant or as a head coach. He committed to Oregon in July 2014, but only after the Ducks missed on targets like Blake Barnett and Sam Darnold earlier in the cycle.

As a Duck: Most expected Waller to play right away, but an injury caused him to redshirt in 2015. After impressing during the spring, Waller looked like he would have a chance to win the starting job this year, but he went from being neck-and-neck for the top spot on the depth chart to fourth-stringer by the end of fall camp. He didn’t appear in a game for the Ducks this fall and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him transfer this offseason.

As a recruit: Wallace made early commitments to Texas Tech and Ohio State but, after being told by the Buckeyes that they would prefer he play another position other than quarterback, he flipped to the Ducks in December 2015.

As a Duck: Despite flipping to Oregon and being ranked as a quarterback, Wallace was moved to wide receiver where he redshirted this fall.

As a recruit: Wilson originally committed to Nebraska in May 2015, but an offer from Oregon quickly caught Wilson’s attention and he flipped to the Ducks after a September official visit.

As a Duck: Wilson was briefly a part of the battle for the starting job this fall, but ultimately redshirted while working with the scout team.

As a recruit: After suffering an injury during his junior season that limited his production and, more importantly, film to show coaches, Herbert went virtually unnoticed by schools until well into his senior season. But playing just down the road from Oregon’s campus helped him catch the eye of the Ducks staff, which offered and took his commitment in October 2015.

As a Duck: Despite not enrolling early, Herbert quickly went from the bottom of the depth chart to second-string by the time the 2016 season kicked off. After initially backing up graduate transfer Dakota Prukop, Herbert took over as the starter midway through the year and showed flashes, including throwing a game-winning touchdown in Oregon’s upset victory over then-No. 12 Utah earlier this month.