My Way | Colby Porter Jr

[djp73]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Wow. A major injury right after a career came and in the midst of the career season. Feel bad for the kid and for the Beavers.

Thanks for the post. Here's hoping he can bounce back

[djp73]

OREGON STATE FOOTBALL | NCAA FOOTBALL
SACKED
Oregon State fires Gary Andersen after team's collapse
By Gerald Franklin III Dec 2nd, 2017, 11:01am


DARELL GARRETSON IS SACKED, ENDING ANY CHANCE OREGON STATE HAD OF MAKING A BOWL GAME

"Ultimately we lost a dynamic player for an extended period of time and I didn't do enough to compensate for that." said a somber Gary Andersen when addressing the media following the announcement that he and Oregon State were parting ways.

Oregon State's season went downhill when QB Colby Porter Jr. suffered an MCL injury and missed the final four and three quarter games.

Oregon State came into their game against Stanford with a 5-2 record. Porter Jr was injured after two possessions and the Beavers lost that game along with their final four to finish the season 5-7.

At the time of the injury Porter Jr was in the Heisman conversation and had amassed nearly 3,500 yards of total offense and accounted for 35 total touchdowns.

Porter Jr is reportedly nearing a full recovery from the injury. He did not return my calls.

[Deuce2223]

Wow Porter really was pretty much the entire team. Not sure it was Anderson's fault they went 0-5 after he left, but someone has to take the blame i guess. Will be interesting to see who comes in and how Colby can do next year.

[djp73]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Wow Porter really was pretty much the entire team. Not sure it was Anderson's fault they went 0-5 after he left, but someone has to take the blame i guess. Will be interesting to see who comes in and how Colby can do next year.

Yeah we have seen it before where a coach loses a dynamic player and can't get any results without them. Next season will be quite different.

[djp73]

My Way
Colby Porter Jr.
January 3, 2018

I just turned 21 a couple months back so it may come as a surprise to you that my all-time favorite song is “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. It was passed down to me from my grandfather.

The opening verse of the song is:

"And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way”

Long ago, before I understood the significance, my grandfather wrote that verse on the inside cover of a well-worn book about Sinatra and told me to think about what it means to me. It took me a while to decide what it meant to me but I've got a pretty good grasp on it.

On October 23rd of last year I was injured during a Thursday night game against Stanford. I was running for the endzone on the play, something I've done thousands of times in my career. I took a clean hit down low on my left knee and felt something change. I got to my feet gingerly and I could tell something wasn't right but I tried my best to hide it and ignore it.



I got back to the huddle, called the play and threw a short touchdown pass to my teammate Hunter Jarmon on a slant. I couldn't push off when I threw the pass but luckily Hunter ran a flawless route and the weak pass got there. I sat down after the play and that was the last time I played in a real game.

When I was on the sideline getting poked and prodded all I could think of was what that verse meant to me. If this was the end of my football career was I happy with how things had gone?

The answer was complicated.

I wasn't happy about never winning a championship. To answer the rest of the question I have to go back a ways.

If you've followed my career for a while you know I've been with a few different programs over the past five years or so. After my junior year at Charles Town High School I transferred to Martinsburg. Folks outside my family speculated as to why.



My mother and I did not take the decision lightly. Each year at Charles Town my grades got worse. I was starting to get in with not the best crowd. Martinsburg has a great group of educators and the change of scenery was just what I needed.

After high school I faced one of the toughest decisions of my life in trying to decide where to continue my education and football career. I did have good offers. From good schools. Quite a few actually. Everyone wanted to see me play receiver, runningback, safety. Anything but quarterback. I wasn't interested. Then came Blinn.



Blinn was an amazing opportunity and an amazing experience. Blinn allowed me to better myself as a player, a student and a person. Blinn allowed me to be seen my more coaches. The coaching staff was incredible.

Coach Andersen and the rest of the staff at Oregon State made me so comfortable. I was apprehensive about being 2,778 miles away from my mom and grandfather. Coach Andersen and everyone else made Corvallis feel like home when I visited. They believed in me as a quarterback.



Circling back.

At the time of the injury I was happy I had done things my way. I was happy I had bet on myself as a quarterback and not settled for a position change. I was happy I had gone to Blinn. I was happy I was at Oregon State. I was happy to be playing for Coach Andersen. People think our relationship is strained because of some of the things that have transpired. That couldn't be further from the truth.

So, I was happy with the path I had chosen. I was happy I'd done it my way. I was very unhappy thinking it might be over, there is so much more I want to achieve as a quarterback.

When I got the details on my injury and found out I was looking at a couple months of rehab I was elated. The elation was short lived as Coach Andersen was fired shortly after. I called him as soon as I heard and we talked for a while.

Over the past two years or so Coach Andersen and I have become very close. I was very upset when I heard he'd been fired. I have a lot more to say about that but this isn't the place.

I have spent the last several weeks working my tail off rehabbing and getting back to where I was before the injury. Even better actually. I've been able to spend some time back home with my mother and grandfather. The two people I love and trust the most. I came to realize how much I missed them.

I don't have much family. Since my father died in the coal mines when I was three it's just been me, my mom and my grandfather. Over the past few months we've learned that my grandfather is sick. We don't know how much time he has left but we want to make the most of it. He would never ask but I know what I need to do. What I want to do.

I have decided to transfer.

There are a few reasons for this and I want to start by thanking everyone at Oregon State for the opportunity, the support and all the love. I can understand if those fans are upset. I know some of my former teammates are upset. I get it.

Ultimately I know this is the right choice. It’s the right choice for my family. It’s the right choice for me. It’s the right choice for the future of my football career.

Like I said, I talked extensively to the people I trust the most when making this decision.

However, in the end it was my choice.

My Way.

[djp73]

Former #OregonState QB Colby Porter Jr. has officially transferred to UVA.
As a graduate transfer he is immediately eligible to play.
Should be a great replacement for Benkert.

[djp73]

10 players earned picks in Mendenhall's jersey number draft, chosen by captains.
#1 Jordan Ellis, #4 Olamide Zaccheaus, #6 PK Kier, #7 Chris Moore, #9 Dominic Sheppard, #11 Charles Snowden, #16 Richard Burney, #99 Joe Spaziani.
Transfer QB Colby Porter Jr. picked #10. Wore it in high school and at Blinn.
The draft order was not released this time.

[djp73]

Colleges
Lacking depth for spring game, Virginia football’s open practice opens eyes
By Gene Wang
April 28, 2018 at 6:29 p.m. EDT

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Were circumstances ideal, Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall would have directed a simulated game Saturday to wrap up spring football workouts. But without the roster depth to make a game worthwhile, Mendenhall for a third straight year settled for an open practice at Scott Stadium in his ongoing efforts to get the program back to national prominence.

The assignment heading into next season comes with a litany of issues to address, most notably fortifying a defense that lost three impact players and installing an offense around a new starter at quarterback following the departure of Kurt Benkert, who holds multiple school passing records.

Enter graduate transfer Colby Porter Jr., whom Mendenhall announced as the starter heading into training camp during his post-practice news conference, an announcement that surprised no one.

“We're not in the business of just handing over jobs,” Mendenhall said. “He didn't want that either. I think everyone expected that it would be him and now it is. He's an incredible athlete, we were more impressed with his leadership qualities. He was voted a captain by his teammates after three practices.”

Formerly at Blinn CC in Texas and then at Oregon State for two years, Porter Jr. is far more nimble than his predecessor. Porter Jr's ability to run has charged offensive coordinator Robert Anae with developing an attack similar to what he and Mendenhall directed when they were at Brigham Young.

As he has done since the start of drills, Porter Jr, under the watchful eyes of Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, displayed his athleticism, arm strength and accuracy during the 15th and final practice of the spring in front of approximately 1,000 enjoying a sun-swept Saturday afternoon.

“These are always character-building springs when you lose your starting quarterback,” Anae said.

In the first series of 11-on-11 play, Porter Jr, operating out of the pistol formation, engineered a touchdown drive that included a deep pass to wide receiver Joe Reed that covered roughly 30 yards. Fullback Jamari Peacock appeared to score from a yard out to finish the drive. (Statistics were not distributed to the media, and many players did not wear numbers, making identification somewhat challenging.)


PORTER JR DELIVERS A 30 PLUS YARD PASS TO REED ON THE BLUE TEAM'S FIRST SERIES

Several series later, Porter Jr. took a turn as a blocker after handing off to receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on a jet sweep run that went for five yards.

On one of the later drives, Porter Jr. darted through the middle of the defense on a designed run for 25 yards to score his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon. Moments later, he delivered a back-shoulder pass to wide receiver Hasise Dubois in the left corner of the end zone, capping the scoring and giving the blue team a 45-31 win against the white team.


PORTER JR ESCAPES A DEFENDER ON A LONG RUN

Porter Jr. (listed at 6-foot and 201 pounds) has been in Charlottesville since workouts commenced in January, and the coaching staff has offered rave reviews about his practice habits, time in the gym and dual-threat skills.

“That’s the challenge that I kind of mentioned to him as we broke practice: We ended spring at a certain level,” Beck said of Porter Jr. “When we come back in the fall, will we have slipped and kind of have to make up that ground, or will we stay the same, or will we be a little ahead?

“It takes a special player to improve the offense during the summertime when coaches aren’t around, and that’s just driven by how much [players] get together, they meet, they work out.”

Competing to back up Porter Jr are transfer Bryce Perkins, sophomore Lindell Stone and freshman Brennan Armstrong, another left-handed passer. Perkins appears to be in the lead by quite a margin. Stone, who played briefly in one game as a freshman last season, has been taking snaps with the second unit and continued to so Saturday, with Mendenhall indicating he is a bit ahead of Armstrong on the depth chart.

With the quarterback pecking order set, the other priority when the team resumes practice is to retool a defense that is without linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding, both all-ACC performers, as well as standout defensive lineman Andrew Brown.

Mendenhall said junior Jordan Mack slid over to Kiser’s inside linebacker spot, and senior Juan Thornhill is moving to Blanding’s free safety position.

Kiser (Los Angeles Rams) and Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) were selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft while the Cavaliers were in the middle of practice Saturday. The scoreboard posted the news, much to the delight of the fans.

“I’m thrilled,” Mendenhall said. “They just need an opportunity. I don’t get so caught up in the rounds. Neither surprises me. I had talked to the general manager of the Rams on opening day [of the draft], and I knew they liked him. And then specifically Andrew did really well on pro day, being worked out by the Bengals’ D-line coach.”