Darren Carrington says Justin Herbert is impressing him and other players this August.

Eight days into fall camp Darren Carrington is still learning the names of all his new teammates, but he knows talent when he sees it.

Carrington was talking about Oregon's quarterbacks Monday, and while the last name escaped Carrington, he knew talent when he saw it in a freshman quarterback.

"Justin, the freshman from Eugene. I forget his last name...Herbert, that's my guy. The little freshmen. He's been coming out here every day, he's got a nice arm honestly. I think he might be in the battle too," Carrington said.

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Herbert flew under the radar as a recruit because of a broken femur during the third game of his junior year. Leading up to the injury Herbert threw for 10 touchdowns and 688 yards, but lacked film to send to college programs to generate interest. After working back to health for his final season at Sheldon high school in Eugene, Herbert was hands down one of the best quarterbacks in the Northwest in 2015. He threw for 36 touchdowns, ran for another 10, and completed over 65 percent of his passes, doing most of his work in just a half of football. The Ducks saw enough and offered midway through his senior year and he quickly committed.

In February Carrington made it a point to see what the new quarterbacks coming into the program looked like. He already knew about Terry Wilson's arrival, but he wasn't sure what Herbert would bring. When he saw the film of Herbert Carrington was sold. "They said we got another quarterback and I saw he was 6-5, 6-6. He was just throwing, he's got a beautiful arm. I knew he was going to have some type of arm, but I didn't expect him to come out there like that. Shocked. He shocked me a little bit."

"He throws good balls every time we are out there."

Over the last seven media availabilities, teammates and coaches have raved about Herbert's play on the field, but more about his understanding of the Oregon spread offense so quickly. Head coach Mark Helfrich credits that to Herbert's offseason work and his background before getting to campus.

"He's a sharp dude. He kind of just gets it from a schematic standpoint," Helfrich said of Herbert. "Coached very well in high school, obviously, in a similar system. I think a lot of those things came naturally."

"He and Terry [Wilson] are both ahead of the curve in terms of a true freshman."

Tight end Pharaoh Brown noticed Herbert early into camp seeing him make the reads within the offense like he'd been in Oregon for more than just a week. "He's just good. He's smart. Picks up the offense pretty well. He can make all the throws."

ltr">Charles Nelson said Justin Herbert throws the best ball. Darren Carrington said either Prukop or "Justin, I can't remember his last name." — Ryan Thorburn (@rgduckfootball) August 15, 2016

With how quickly he's picked up the offense, Carrington says he's further along than your typical freshman and wonders what the quarterback battle might be like if Herbert got an earlier start to his Oregon career.

"I wish he came in the spring because he could have been in the competition even more," Carrington said. "He's away above and beyond of where I thought any freshman would be. Especially just coming in the fall. He just goes through his reads and he's got a beautiful arm to complement as well."

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