EUGENE -- Oregon coaches and players didn't ever refer to Vernon Adams by name through much of the quarterback's transfer process, often saying that they were only focusing on the players who were on campus with the team.
But Adams passed a math exam last Thursday night, his final hurdle before joining the Ducks for his first practice of fall camp on Friday.
Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost spoke publicly about Adams for the first time Monday after spending a few practices with a player who's expected to battle Jeff Lockie, Marcus Mariota's longtime backup, for the starting quarterback spot.
"Vernon is doing a great job," Frost said. "I can see why he has been a great player at the lower level. I can see why he has won a lot of games. Whoever was coaching him before did a great job with him."
Adams initially was expected to be on campus in June working out with the Ducks. But his delay in his math class put him behind on that, as well as getting to camp on time.
One of the biggest concerns with Adams being able to compete for the starting job is not only the fact that he arrived later than expected, but that he also missed the first four days of fall camp.
But Frost said that even with the delay, Adams has shown good ability in picking up the Ducks' complicated offense quickly.
"There's just so many little details to learn when you come in new," Frost said. "You learn those things over time. We'll keep trying to force-feed him and jam as many things into his head as his head can hold.
"But sometimes there's no substitute for experience and having seen some of the things we're talking about. So it's going to be a learning curve, but I've been impressed with how quick he has picked things up."