Quarterback Dakota Prukop will head into No. 24 Oregon's season opener against UC Davis as the starter.

Prukop, a graduate transfer from Montana State, will be the second consecutive graduate transfer to start a season opener for the Ducks, following in the footsteps of Eastern Washington graduate transfer Vernon Adams Jr.

"The last week or so, I think he really settled down, and instead of trying to win the job, he just concentrated on that individual play. And just all those singular plays add up to a body of work," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said Saturday. "Right now, he has performed at the highest level from a production standpoint, efficiency standpoint."

Unlike Adams, who didn't join the Ducks until a few days into fall camp last season, Prukop arrived in Eugene early. He got to campus in January and went through all of the spring with the Ducks.

Redshirt freshman Justin Herbert will be Prukop's backup. "He was second best," Helfrich said. Terry Wilson will be third string QB and Travis Jonsen rounds out the depth chart at the position.

Through spring practices, the coaches gave looks to Prukop and Jonsen. Heading into the summer, coaches wanted to see Prukop get a better grasp on the play calling and playbook, while they wanted to see Jonsen become smoother running the offense. However, all signs pointed toward Prukop having the advantage of maturity and experience.

Quarterback Dakota Prukop will lead the Oregon offense against UC Davis on Sept. 3. Scott Olmos/USA TODAY Sports

Early in fall camp, it appeared Prukop might not hold on to that advantage, as coaches said he was playing a bit carelessly and turning the ball over. Prukop finally settled in and established himself as the most consistent quarterback in Oregon's stable.

"I think his biggest thing in terms of being careless was just trying to win the job with every throw," Helfrich said last week, "which is a very natural thing to do for a quarterback competition. The guys put a lot of pressure on every single throw. ... He has been better with the ball."

Prukop on Monday said he was focused on doing his best to show progress over fall camp.

"I think a couple days into fall camp I started just forgetting about the competition and just mostly thinking about progressing each day and working on not making the same mistake on certain plays I made the day prior," he said.

Prukop said he had an individual meeting with Oregon QB coach David Yost after being named starter.

Herbert, a Eugene native who arrived on campus this summer, was thought to be a distant fourth in the pecking order coming into fall camp, but he gradually garnered more praise from the coaches and players.

"He has really shocked me," Oregon wide receiver Dwayne Stanford said. "Over the summer, I didn't know how he was going to look once he put on pads, but he has looked even better as fall camp has gone along."

Oregon opens with UC Davis on Sept. 3 before facing Power 5 opponents Virginia and Nebraska to close out the nonconference schedule.