EUGENE – When the topic of Marcus Mariota was raised Tuesday after the first day of Oregon's 15 spring football practices, the answers were delivered with the precision of a Ducks' offensive drive in midseason form to describe the quarterback who – by the glowing reviews from his fellow Ducks -- might already be.

"He looked great," junior left tackle Tyler Johnstone said. "Everybody trusts that man."

"Outstanding," said coach Mark Helfrich, before finding a synonym. "He was awesome as a leader."

“You can always count on him,” said senior receiver Keanon Lowe.

So, how did Mariota, the presumptive Heisman Trophy candidate whose time was split Tuesday between drills, on-camera ESPN interviews and meetings with nearly two dozen reporters, grade his day? In his typical not-good-enough fashion.

“I’m pretty critical of myself,” said the Hawaiian. “I had an OK day.”

As much as things have changed for Mariota since the world last saw him beat Texas in December's Alamo Bowl while still hobbled from a partial MCL sprain in his left knee, just as much has stayed the same. And it’s that contrast between his changing physicality and expanding national profile with his never-too-high, never-too-low attitude – and a personality that sheds praise like he sheds arm tackles and prefers to lead without being loud – that makes those around him gush about Oregon’s most important player even more.

“He is the leader of this team, without a doubt,” Lowe said.

The physical changes are noticeable. Mariota added weight and is now 218 pounds, and said hopes to get to around 220, the product of three months spent in the weight room. He called getting bigger his top priority during winter workouts, while still retaining the mobility that allowed him to average 7.9 yards per carry last season – the most by a quarterback in the country.

He is also fully healthy, he said, calling himself 100 percent since mid-January, which means that in a season where college football offenses are free to operate as fast as they please, the leader of one of its premier attacks will be at full speed, too. UO receiver and hurdler Devon Allen said the 100 percent diagnosis on Mariota's knee was no bluff.

“He’s definitely one of the top two or three or four guys on the field right now,” said Allen, who was then asked if Mariota was faster than him.

“Um, no comment,” Allen said, with a smile.

Mariota’s complexion is darker, too, he joked, the product of spending nearly every day of spring break last week at the beach in his native Hawaii.

What hasn’t changed is his ego, or apparent lack thereof, despite accounting for 31 touchdowns as a sophomore while playing with a hurt knee for the season’s final two months. He has thrown for a touchdown in all 22 games of his career.

They are enviable numbers for just about any signal caller in the country, just as his projected top-10 selection in the May’s NFL draft could have lured many other athletes in his position into the pro ranks. But when Mariota reflected on 2013 on Tuesday and Oregon’s 11-2 record, he said he mostly spent the last three months fixated on his mistakes, such as a lost fumble against Stanford inside the 20-yard line.

“I think the biggest takeaway from last season was we had a lot to learn,” Mariota said. “I think from getting a little complacent in the middle of the season and just battling through some things. ... I was trying to do too much with it. It kind of put our team in a bad spot. It’s one of those deals where you look back at it and kind of replay your decision making over and over again. You can’t do much about it, it’s in the past, but you can definitely learn from it.”

That Mariota doesn't take the bait to discuss himself makes others do the talking for him. An hour after ESPN analyst Brock Huard tweeted a photo of their sit-down interview with the comment that Mariota could be the No.1 pick in next month's NFL draft, Mariota spoke earnestly of the importance of being pushed by his backups.

“My mentality is still the same,” he said. “I have to continue to get better.”

Mariota is far from the only Duck who spoke Tuesday as if last season finished 2-11 rather than 11-2; “accountability” was the day’s buzzword. Lowe was especially vocal about a changed attitude surrounding the team, and Mariota praised the Jesuit High School grad for setting an example Mariota himself was attempting to follow.

"He's a great example," Mariota said. "He's a senior who has been doing it right since he got here."

It is dangerous, teammates acknowledge, to put too much pressure on Mariota's shoulders alone. Yet they add it certainly helps to turn the offseason's words into actions when “the face of this team” -- and the player around whom Oregon's national championship hopes will again hinge on -- is one of the Ducks leading the charge.

“No matter what he’s doing people trust it’s the right thing to do,” Johnstone said. “Marcus doesn’t take it all on his shoulders. He knows he has that support system, but at the same time he also understands that he’s the face of this team and he takes that to heart and he leads us in a good manner.”

Added Lowe: “The biggest thing these younger guys see from him is he’s always going to compete.”

That’s why Mariota was less than pleased with his first practice of spring. He cited forcing a few passes that he wished he could have back while praising the effort of Oregon’s defense in his next sentence.

When he left his group interview, he politely thanked the assembled media mass and wished them all a good day. He chatted with two potential walk-ons and slapping their hands in a high-five before leaving the plaza outside Oregon's athletic complex. That interaction left one walk-on, Marcus Meredith, saying, "I'd be behind him no matter what."

There were 14 practices left in spring football to get better.

“Marcus,” Lowe said, “is just the man.”

No one Tuesday, this spring or this season -- outside of Mariota himself, anyway -- would have argued the point.

-- Andrew Greif |