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There’s another Irish quarterback heading to Autzen. But Sheldon coach Josh Line wonders why other schools haven’t gotten in on Eugene’s little secret.
EUGENE — Talk to Sheldon coach Josh Line long enough and you’ll begin to realize for as much as he relishes his gig in North Eugene, he misses the old days.
You can hear it in his voice — Line is somewhat embittered by the whole thing. Not any one entity in particular, rather the state it’s all transgressed into.
We’re discussing the state of recruiting, the NIL era, the transfer portal and the rapid roster destruction it’s introduced to the sport — the frenzy stirred up around all the wrong things. He brings up Jaden Rashada, one of the nation’s top quarterback recruits in the 2023 class. Formerly a Florida commit, Rashada asked for a release on his letter of intent after a formerly agreed upon NIL deal involving the Gator Collective, rumored to have totaled up to $13 million, fell apart.
“What does that mean?” Line said. “It means that he didn’t want to go to Florida, he wanted $13 million. You didn’t sell him on your program.”
Line knows a thing or two about selling. To be frank, he feels like he’s had to do too much of it of late. He’s been working the phones since the offseason started, finding homes for players like Brock Thomas — an upperclassmen starter at quarterback who committed to walk-on to Oregon earlier this month — and using his own background as a walk-on-turned-starter as a point of familiarity for his players to learn from.
Line left Marshfield High School for the Sheldon gig in 2017, taking over and sustaining a program that’s been one of the most succesful in Oregon this century. He’s quick to attribute his success at Sheldon — like this year’s run to the state title — to the culture he and his staff have built and the player’s buy-in. It’s one centered around the understanding of roles, and delayed gratification when it comes to the development and advancements of such. It means many of Sheldon’s top players are juniors, and more often seniors.
Therein lies one of Line’s gripes with the modern day recruiting landscape.
“If you’re not starting on your high school football team and putting up huge numbers as a sophomore and junior, you’re not even on the radar,” Line said.
Late bloomers? They’re largely out of the recruiting equation, he believes. During his playing days, and even early coaching days, Line said most players weren’t recruited until after their senior seasons.
But now?
“It’s almost like what you do your senior year doesn’t matter at all,” he said.
Line realizes the competitiveness of recruiting these days means teams rarely have the luxury to wait. And he doesn’t see it changing either, which could be problematic for in-state players.
“I would say in this whole state of Oregon we have so many kids that mature a little bit later,” he said.
Sheldon’s on-field product these past few seasons would suggest it’s one of the more talent-rich rosters in the school’s recent history. Line contends as much and believes when it comes to the prospect of playing collegiately, some of his players are getting the short end of the stick — that Sheldon is a recruiting blind spot.
“Our lack of recruitment is just baffling to me,” he said.
So, while he hasn’t had to sell Sheldon to his current and future players, much of his time during these winter months has been spent reaching out to college coaches, enticing them to take flyers on his kids.
It’s worked out for Sheldon in the past after all, even before Line’s time.
Look no further than the quarterback position. Justin Herbert was set to attend Northern Arizona until an Oregon offer floated in during the week of signing day. Taylor Allie saw snaps as a backup for the Ducks, too. Going back even further, Alex Brink had a serviceable career at Washington State before playing in the CFL and Jordan Johnson spent four years as a starter at Montana.
So, when Line let his mind wander back a few decades through the lineage of Sheldon quarterbacks last week, he came away feeling proud, sure. It’s a tribute to the community, if nothing else. But he’s still slightly dismayed that schools haven’t taken note.
Dan Lanning, however, seems to have.
Oregon’s coach saw the newest Sheldon star quarterback Thomas (a 3-star recruit) play in 7-on-7s early last season, then took up the sideline as Thomas, his teammate and Oregon commit Teitum Tuioti, and the Irish took down Lake Oswego in the second round of the 6A playoffs.
Soon thereafter, the Ducks’ coach made it clear: Scholarship or not, he wanted Thomas on the roster.
Thomas had previously collected offers from Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, Army and Air Force. But as so often happens when the hometown team comes knocking, even the idea of a walk-on spot was enough to throw a wrench in the equation.
In the end, it was all too alluring.
“I was really excited and just kind of relieved,” Thomas said. “I knew that’s something that I really would consider and kind of wanted to for a while. I mean, I grew up a Duck fan and it’s just kind of exciting knowing that I’m gonna be able to have an opportunity to play for them.”
Thomas committed earlier this month, continuing an ever-growing Sheldon-Oregon pipeline, especially at his position.
“We’ve had a lot of players that are just kind of underrated and have gone on to prove themselves at the next level,” he said. “I’m hoping to do the same.
“I don’t really care about expectations.”
Thomas’ commitment, especially given his label as a preferred walk-on, has understandably been lost in the shuffle amidst the flurry of 4- and 5-star adds for the Ducks this offseason. What makes it fascinating however, aside from the obvious local ties, is that his decision flies in the face of so much of what college football is now known for, what it’s become riddled with.
Thomas won’t be enrolling this summer in Eugene because of money. He won’t be enrolling because of a coaching stay either, really, although his relationships with them are strong. He’s attending Oregon because of the school, the program. He’ll pay his own way and practice most weeks will be his “gameday.” And yes, Thomas and those around him realize the in-state proximity allows him to take such a leap of faith with his athletic career.
“I think you can get a lot of mileage out of a kid like Brock because he wants to be at the University of Oregon,” Line said. “He grew up here in the Willamette Valley, loves the Ducks, probably deep down in his heart always dreamed about playing for the Oregon Ducks just like when I was a kid growing up in Springfield. There’s a difference between a kid like Brock and say a kid from California or Texas.”
When Thomas approached Line during the decision making process, the coach’s words of wisdom came from a place of familiarity and understanding. Like he said, a young Line harbored a similar dream.
Line played at Springfield High School, then walked on to the Ducks as a quarterback after a brief stint at the College of the Siskiyous. In Eugene, he made the move to full back and eventually gained the starting job, striking gold through a confluence of hard work and injuries above him on the depth chart.
“I thought (Line) did some good things,” former UO head coach Mike Bellotti said after a spring 2000 practice. “I’ve said before that he’s shown up, and I’m impressed and pleased with that.”
Line’s advice to his signal caller Thomas revolved around a similar ethos. Show up, work hard and you’ve got a chance to carve out a real role for yourself, even at a position as competitively convoluted as quarterback.
“He told me how difficult it’s going to be… He put a lot of trust and faith in me though,” Thomas said. “He thinks that I’m capable.”
Thomas’ father Aaron was also a walk-on at Oregon back in the 80s. Aaron, a safety, had earned a legitimate role just like Line, but tore his ACL during the back half of his career and never returned.
Will Stein, Oregon’s new offensive coordinator, was himself a walk-on quarterback who earned his own starting gig at Louisville. Stein wasted little time filling Thomas in on their similarities.
“He knows how I’m feeling right now,” Thomas said. “He told me that he has no problem with starting a walk on, I just would have to prove it to him and do the work.”
Line added: “I think Brock’s biggest strength is his knowledge of the game and his ability to make decisions. You know, he’s got speed and he’s got the arm.”
And, yes, at 6-foot, 175-pound, he’s “undersized” in this day and age. But you’d better believe Line and Thomas enjoyed every minute of the equally undersized Stetson Bennett IV — Georgia’s walk-on quarterback — putting an exclamation point on his unlikely career with his second national championship win.
It was a high water mark for walk-ons, to put it mildly. But who’s gonna tell Thomas that he can’t shoot for his own goals?
Line certainly won’t.
— Shane Hoffmann
@shane_hoffmann
