Oregon Football: Is Vernon Adams or Braxton Miller Better Transfer Candidate?

It’s one of the most talked about questions in college football: Who will replace Marcus Mariota as Oregon’s starting quarterback?

The answer to that question likely lies outside of Oregon’s current roster.

While the Ducks currently have five quarterbacks on their roster, the starting QB for Oregon on Sept. 5 isn't yet enrolled at the university.

The most likely candidate, at this point, to be Oregon’s QB next season is Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams Jr. The other main transfer candidate is Ohio State’s Braxton Miller.

Adams, a three-year starter at Eastern Washington, is visiting Eugene this weekend, according to The Oregonian’s Jen Beyrle, and has a scholarship offer from Oregon, according to Jim Allen of The Spokesman-Review.

Meanwhile, Ohio State’s Miller has indicated he will remain at Ohio State, though it’s certainly possible he could change his mind given the fact that he’ll be competing with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones for the Buckeyes QB job.

It’s looking more and more like Adams will be the guy for the Ducks. But is Adams a better fit for the Ducks than Miller, and should the Ducks wait on Miller before committing to Adams?

First, let’s start with Miller. A couple of weeks back, Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee explained that Miller could be the perfect fit in Eugene:

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As a graduate, he can transfer now if he can find a home, and simply getting mental reps during spring practice would help not only him but also the younger players who get actual first-team reps.

Mariota stepped in as a redshirt freshman in place of Darron Thomas, and the offense didn't miss a beat. Thomas stepped in as a sophomore for Jeremiah Masoli and led the Ducks to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game following the 2010 season. 

It's a great system that's designed for simplicity, speed and efficiency—all of which would benefit Miller as he recovers from his shoulder injury.

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While Miller’s shoulder injury is certainly a concern, his familiarity with the spread elements used at Ohio State would benefit him if he chooses to transfer to Oregon.

Moreover, Miller is the most experienced QB Oregon could bring into the program and has faced elite competition at Ohio State, something Adams lacks.

From 2011 to 2013, Miller played in 36 games as the Buckeyes quarterback. In those games, Miller completed 59.3 percent of his passes, threw 52 touchdowns, tossed 17 interceptions and had a QB rating of 146.7, a rating that improved every season.

While Miller is certainly a solid passer, his best attribute is his running ability. Over his three seasons as QB, Miller ran for 3,054 yards and scored 32 touchdowns.

What can’t be overlooked here is how successful Miller was in terms of leading his team to victory. Over his past two seasons as QB for the Buckeyes—with Urban Meyer as his head coach—Miller led Ohio State to a 24-2 record and had a perfect regular-season record within the Big Ten.

There’s no doubt that Miller is a great player and, if healthy, would give the Ducks a fantastic chance of sustaining their recent string of success.

That being said, the other man in the race may be just as capable, even if he’s not a known commodity.

Vernon Adams Jr. first made national headlines in the first game of the 2013 season, when his FCS Eastern Washington team stunned Oregon State 49-46 in Corvallis.

In that game, Adams torched the Beavers for 411 yards passing, 107 yards rushing and six touchdowns—four passing, two rushing.

Despite the fact that Adams is only 6’0” and 200 pounds, the junior quarterback is a handful. Last season Adams was the MVP of the Big Sky Conference and Walter Payton Award runner-up—an award given to the top player in the FCS—despite the fact that he missed four games with a broken foot.

Adams is 28-6 as a starter for Eastern Washington and has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 10,438 yards, 110 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in those 34 games. While Adams is an elusive rusher—he’s rushed for 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career—he’s not as dynamic as someone like Miller or Mariota.

While Adams’ performance against Oregon State was incredibly impressive, the game Oregon fans will want to look at took place against the Washington Huskies early in 2014.

Against a Washington defense that featured some of the best defenders in college football—Danny Shelton, Shaq Thompson, Andrew Hudson and Hau’oli Kikaha, to name a few—Adams was 31-of-46 for 475 yards and seven touchdown passes.

Yes, you read that correctly—seven!

For the sake of comparison, Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner, went 24-of-33 for 336 yards and two touchdowns against the Huskies in a 45-20 victory.

Yes, Oregon beat Washington, and Eastern Washington didn't. That being said, Adams outperformed Mariota against a common opponent. More impressively, he did it on the road.

We know that Adams isn't going to be a better college QB than Mariota. That’s nearly impossible. But given his performances against Pac-12 defenses, and Oregon's rivals, it seems like the Adams-Oregon connection is a match made in heaven.

Bleacher Report’s Ben Kercheval believes Adams could succeed wildly in Eugene:

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As a small-stature quarterback, Adams had to prove he can play at a high level despite his size. He's done just that; Adams is one of the few big names outside of the FBS level—or outside the Power Five conferences, for that matter. 

Adams can play. Oregon is, at the very least, interested in what Adams can bring. This could be a beautiful marriage, even if it's the most unlikely kind. 

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While it could be a beautiful marriage, there are some slight concerns about bringing in Adams, most notably his arrival date.

Adams is set to graduate from Eastern Washington in June, meaning he wouldn't be able to join Oregon until the summer. Oregon’s offensive system has similarities to the one Adams has run at Eastern Washington, but it’s definitely not identical. It’s going to take some time for Adams to catch up.

That being said, Adams would be walking into an offense with the best group of skill-position players in the entire country. Moreover, Oregon’s offense is incredibly friendly to quarterbacks.

Both Adams and Miller would be an upgrade over Oregon’s current quarterbacks. No offense to Jeff Lockie, Morgan Mahalak, Travis Waller, Ty Griffin and Taylor Alie, but Adams and Miller have proved themselves to be dynamic quarterbacks over the past couple of seasons.

If Oregon wants to get back into a position to make a run at a College Football Playoff spot in 2015, the Ducks are going to need to bring in a quarterback from the outside.

Head coach Mark Helfrich told Stephen Alexander of the Portland Tribune earlier this month he would consider a transfer quarterback if it was the “right guy, right fit.” 

Helfrich doesn't need to look much further. The right guy will be in his office this weekend.

Braxton Miller is the bigger name, but Vernon Adams Jr. is the better fit.

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.