EUGENE – The holidays are over but there was one last gift for the Oregon Ducks football team. Quarterback Justin Herbert announced Wednesday that he will return for his senior year with the Ducks. Herbert made his announcement shortly before the team left for the Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, California.
“We couldn’t be more excited for Justin to return for his senior season,” coach Mario Cristobal said in a press release from the University of Oregon. In his first full season with Cristobal as head coach, Herbert has thrown for 2,985 yards and 28 touchdowns, 10th most in the nation.
Herbert will forgo the NFL Draft, where he was expected to be the first quarterback taken and possibly the first overall pick. Justin will get the chance to play with his younger brother Patrick Herbert, a 3-star tight end recruit who signed this month during the early signing period.
“The University of Oregon has been a special place to me for as long as I can remember. Words will never be able to express my feelings of gratitude toward the people that have built and maintain our program,” Herbert said. “What I have come to realize, though, is that nothing could pull me away from the opportunities that we have in front of us. As we prepare for our bowl game, I would like to ensure that there are no distractions outside of this game. My commitment to my teammates, our coaches, Duck fans, and the University of Oregon has never been stronger.”
Herbert is just 96 passing yards away from reaching 7,000 career passing yards to go along with 62 TDs. He ranks third all-time at Oregon in career passing TDs, third in completion percentage and sixth in passing yards.
The Ducks are meeting Wednesday in Santa Clara for their first bowl game practice in the Bay Area. Oregon is a 2.5 point favorite over Michigan State as the Ducks look to snap a three-game bowl losing streak.
