Why 4-Star Travis Waller Is Best QB Oregon Could Have Landed in Class of 2015

After misfires on 5-star prospect Kyler Murray and 4-star Blake Barnett, Oregon needed to come up big with its next quarterback prospect for the 2015 signing class.

The Ducks did just that, landing a commitment Tuesday from 4-star prospect Travis Waller.

Although Oregon's push for Waller came late—he received his official offer just 11 days ago—he's no contingency plan. His commitment was no mere consolation prize after the Ducks missed on Murray and Barnett, either.

Waller rose to the top of the Ducks' list along with Deondre Francois, a 4-star prospect from Orlando, Florida, being heavily recruited by Florida State and Auburn.

In landing Waller, Oregon plants a flag in the all-important Southern California recruiting scene, and at one of the region's powerhouse schools. Waller leads the offense at Anaheim's Servite High School, the No. 10-ranked team in MaxPreps' national Xcellent 25 poll.

Waller's commitment represents a major victory in the Pac-12 geographic footprint. 

Likewise, remaining in the region helped Waller make his decision, he explained to 247Sports' Ryan Bartow.

"The players are family and they don’t treat anyone different. They play in the Pac-12 North and [it's] an hour flight from home so my mom can come to my games," he said.

Waller is a talented playmaker whose skill set could not be a more seamless fit for the Oregon style, in much the same manner as 2014 recruit Morgan Mahalak.  

With the duo in the fold, Oregon's quarterback future certainly looks bright. The line of succession is set up in such a way that when Marcus Mariota leaves for what is almost assuredly a first-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft, the Ducks coaching staff has options in the same mold.

Indeed, Waller's game is very much reminiscent of Oregon's current, Heisman Trophy-contending signal-caller. With prototypical quarterback size at 6'3", Waller stands tall and strong in the pocket.

But perhaps the most impressive facet of his game is his explosiveness out of the zone-read.

Waller's Hudl.com junior-year highlight reel opens appropriately enough: Waller sells the hand-off before slicing through the defense, finding the seams and turning on the jets to outpace the safeties for an 85-yard touchdown.

That's just a sample of the work Waller did in 2013 for Servite. Per MaxPreps, Waller rushed for 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns to complement his 1,669 yards passing and 12 touchdowns.

He likely has another big year ahead of him, as Servite pursues the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section and state championships. By the time Waller actually gets to Oregon, hoisting hardware could be old hat for him.

Recruiting rankings and information culled from 247Sports composite scores unless otherwise noted.