Nov 26, 2016; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Marcus McMaryion (3) runs the ball against Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Justin Hollins (11) at Reser Stadium. Photo Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Marcus McMaryion, who left Oregon State last week, has announced he will be joining Fresno State this season.
McMaryion is a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. He is able to play right away for the Bulldogs and first-year coach Jeff Tedford, a noted quarterback guru.
Fresno State, transitioning to a pro-set offense under Tedford, returns starting quarterback Chason Virgil, a sophomore. Virgil completed 166 of 322 passes (51.6 percent) last season for 2,021 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Virgil has been competing with junior college transfer Jorge Reyna in the spring and through early camp.
McMaryion announced his transfer decision on social media Tuesday night. Earlier that day, Tedford was asked after practice about potential interest in McMaryion, who is from nearby Dinuba, Calif.
“Anytime you have a guy like that who is a local guy and is a really good player, from the level that he has played, I think you always need to take a look at what he would add to your team,” Tedford said in the Fresno Bee.
McMaryion’s departure from Oregon State came after Beavers coach Gary Andersen selected junior college transfer Jake Luton as his starting quarterback about a week into camp. McMaryion started six games last season as an injury replacement, completing 101 of 170 passes for 1,286 yards, with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
–Steve Spurrier was the king of zingers during his coaching days, and he is still rolling in retirement.
While speaking at the Independence Bowl Foundation’s kickoff luncheon in Shreveport, La., Spurrier jabbed at a former SEC rival:
“You can have good ball players and still not win football games — all you LSU fans know about that,” he said, according to The Shreveport Times.
–Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst, who suffered a torn ACL in last season’s Sun Bowl, has recovered quickly enough to start the season opener against Rice in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 26.
“He’s shown us no signs of any issues at all physically,” coach David Shaw said on SFgate.com. “There are no limitations on him right now, so we feel good about him getting ready to go play in Sydney.”
Chryst went 6-0 as a starter last season, completing 77 of 136 passes for 905 yards, with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
–First-year Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday, showing a unique way to deliver good news to a walk-on.
At a team meeting, Fleck introduced Kyle, from the university’s Masonic Children’s Hospital, to talk to the players. Kyle mentioned that his favorite player is kicker Justin Juenemann, a frequent visitor to the hospital.
Fleck later gave Kyle a T-Shirt cannon to shoot to Juenemann, who grabbed the shirt out of mid-air. This was what was written on the front: JUSTIN, CONGRATS ON EARNING A SCHOLARSHIP.
He is a redshirt senior who has yet to appear in a game.
