EUGENE — Justin Herbert is entering his fourth season as Oregon’s starting quarterback, and much of his legacy is still to be determined.

This is a defining season for the senior, who passed on the NFL to play one more season for the college team he grew up cheering.

Expectations are high this season for Herbert and the No. 13 Ducks, with the preseason media poll picking them to win the Pac-12 North Division.

Whether Oregon can accomplish that feat will depend largely on what kind of season Herbert can put together in his final run with the Ducks.

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Oregon has opened fall camp and has about four weeks to prepare before the season-opener at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 31 against Auburn in Arlington, Texas.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Herbert said about being picked to win the division. “It’s a sign of all the hard work we put in this offseason. We have a lot of guys coming back. We’re going to do everything we can to play good football this year.”

There will be a lot of focus on Herbert this season, much like last season, with heavy media coverage, as well as NFL scouts analyzing every aspect of his game.

Herbert said he learned from the experience last season.

“I would say, not to let it distract you too much,” Herbert said. “Focus on what’s around you, focus on our guys, our team. Listen to the people that really matter to you.”

Herbert this season

Herbert, who grew up in Eugene and went to Sheldon High School, is coming off a tremendous junior season, where he threw for 3,151 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Herbert will be without his favorite target this season, Dillon Mitchell, who led the team last season with 75 catches for 1,184 yards and 10 touchdowns. Mitchell is now playing for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL.

The receiving group this year includes junior Jaylon Redd, who was second on the team last season with 38 catches for 433 yards and five touchdowns, as well as senior transfer Juwan Johnson from Penn State.

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“They’re really an athletic bunch of guys,” Herbert said. “It’s a competitive group, and they get after it each day. It’s been really fun to watch so far.”

In his short time so far in Eugene, Johnson has already been impressed with Herbert.

“He has so many attributes that you can’t really put it into one, but I think he’s just a baller,” Juwan Johnson said. “He can run the ball when he has to. He can throw the ball, he has a nice touch on the ball. He’s a great leader as well.”

Johnson is a player who could become a primary target for Herbert. Not only does Johnson already have Division I experience, but he also is a large target at 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds.

Johnson said that his on-field chemistry with Herbert already is strong.

“I’m feeding off him, he’s feeding off me,” Juwan Johnson said. “We’re feeding off each other’s ideas. And when you have that, there’s an ability to make improvements.”

Herbert is coming off his best season with the Ducks, but he still has room to grow and continue to master the role of quarterback in major college football.

“His next step is continuing to just take control of the entire offense. The great quarterbacks understand A to Z, with their eyes closed, like the backs of their hands,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said.

“There’s going to be some times this year where a guy like that is going to have to take over a football game," Cristobal said. "He’s already done it a number of times. It’s the next natural part of his growth.”

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Herbert compared to past greats

During his first three seasons with the Ducks, Herbert has amassed impressive career statistical totals.

Herbert ranks fourth all-time in Oregon history is passing yards at 7,070. Marcus Mariota, the Ducks’ only Heisman Trophy winner, ranks No. 1 with 10,796. Bill Musgrave is second at 8,343, Danny O’Neil is third at 8,301, and Kellen Clemens is fourth at 7,555.

Herbert also ranks third in career passing touchdowns with 63. Only Mariota (105) and Darron Thomas (66) have more.

Even though it would take a monster season for Herbert to break either record, it’s already fair to say that Herbert is statistically among Oregon’s elite quarterbacks historically.

Herbert could take the next step and vault himself into Mariota, Thomas and Joey Harrington territory if he could lead the Ducks to a Pac-12 championship this season.

Unstable program early on

Herbert came into a very different program as a freshman in 2016.

As a three-star recruit, Herbert was impressing teammates and the coaching staff at the time with his quick progression during fall camp.

Even with that progression, Herbert was named the backup by then-head coach Mark Helfrich and his staff, who instead made senior transfer Dakota Prukop the starter.

After the Ducks struggled to a 2-3 start, Helfrich named Herbert the starter against Washington. That game didn’t go too well for the Ducks, who lost 70-21 at home. Despite the loss, Herbert wasn’t bad, throwing for 179 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

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Herbert remained the starter, and the Ducks finished the season with a 4-8 record.

After the season, Helfrich and his staff were fired, and Oregon hired Willie Taggart as head coach.

“We weren’t a great football team,” Herbert said. “We were a group of individuals that year. I think the past couple years, we’ve a really good job of coming together and becoming a team.”

Taggart coached Oregon for one season, and then he further added to the program’s chaos by bolting to Florida State after just one season. Cristobal was then elevated to head coach.

Through his first three seasons playing at Oregon, Herbert had three different head coaches.

Family connection

Herbert has a special treat this season — playing with his younger brother, Patrick, who is a freshman tight end for the Ducks.

The last time the two of them played together was on the Sheldon High School team during the 2015 season.

“It kind of reminded me of high school,” Justin Herbert said. “It’s been fun, and it’s not something you get to do too often. It’s a special moment.”

Patrick Herbert agreed.

“It’s been awesome,” Patrick Herbert said. “We did it my freshman year in high school, and it definitely means the world to me.”

Patrick Herbert said that the two of them grew up as typical brothers, and he looked up to Justin.

“He was always really hard on me when I was younger,” Patrick Herbert said. “But as we grew up together, he realized that we’re in it together, not against each other. He became really supportive.”

Justin Herbert has grown up a lot during his time with the Ducks, both physically and in how he carries himself and leads the team.

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Patrick Herbert said he remembers when Justin made the most growth.

“I think his freshman year to his sophomore year was the biggest jump,” Patrick Herbert said. “He was kind of a little kid freshman year, and turned into a man sophomore year.”

This is Justin Herbert’s final season of college football. He chose to make the NFL wait one more season when he announced last December that we would return to Oregon.

But after this season, he will be selected in the NFL Draft, with many projections having him go in the first round.

When that happens, Patrick Herbert said it will be an exciting time for the Herbert family.

“It’s definitely going to be surreal thinking that my brother is going to be playing in the NFL,” Patrick Herbert said. “It’s going to mean the world (to the family). We’ve all been football fans. My grandparents, my dad, we’ve all been around it forever. That’s like the ultimate goal.”

Pete Martini covers high school and college sports for the Statesman Journal. You can contact Pete at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6730 and follow @PeteMartiniSJ