Oregon Emerges as Frontrunner for Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman

The Oregon Ducks are in the hunt for a new starting quarterback with Justin Herbert heading to the NFL as a potential first-round draft pick. Well, it looks as if they've be scouring the transfer portal in search of a replacement, and may have found a decent fit.

According to Pete Thamel of Bleacher Report, there's mutual interest between the Ducks and former Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman.

Herbert leaving leaves the Ducks with a huge void at quarterback. After the team's Rose Bowl win on New Year's Day, Oregon isn't looking to develop a new quarterback, they want to compete for a National Championship right away. The best way to do that is to pluck an experienced gunslinger off the portal.

Like Herbert, Newman stands tall, measuring at 6-4 and 230-pounds. After finishing the season 8-5 and losing to Michigan State in the Pinstripe Bowl, Newman announced his intent to declare as a graduate transfer.

The redshirt junior played in 12 games this season under head coach Dave Clawson. Newman threw for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, all with a 60.9 completion percentage. He also rushed for 574 yards and six touchdowns.

Behind Herbert on Oregon's roster is a trio of freshmen in Cale Millen, Tyler Shough, and Bradley Yaffe. Only Shough played a snap in 2019, as he went 12-for-15 with 144 yards and three touchdowns in limited action.

With the Ducks looking to return to the CFP in 2020, going after an experienced arm like Newman makes a lot of sense for Mario Cristobal and Co.