Like Father, Like Son?

Gen-Zers may not take much from the name Akili Smith, but anyone who was actively viewing Oregon Football’s famous resurgence in the 90s will likely have a smile on their face when hearing him mentioned.

Building on the momentum from the ‘94 Rose Bowl team, Oregon Football finished the 90s on a hot streak fans had never seen before.

Right in the thick of that was Akili Smith Sr., who helped Oregon climb into National Title contention during the 1998 season.

Smith was one of the top collegiate quarterbacks heading into the 1999 NFL Draft.

A quarter-century later, it was pure nostalgia when his son committed to Oregon, and the past couple Spring Games, we’ve been able to see him suit up in a Duck uniform.

Question is, will we get to see much of that on Saturdays in the fall at any point?

In the Spring Game this past weekend, Smith Jr. led a couple first half drives for Team Black, the second of which culminated in a field goal to go on top 10-7.

He didn’t make any glaring mistakes, but after Brock Thomas tossed the game-winning touchdown and Dante Moore and Dylan Riola looked as good as advertised, it’s likely he’ll spend his Redshirt Freshman season as the fourth string quarterback.

Unless your name is Justin Roper or Darron Thomas, you likely won’t see an abundance of time as a fourth stringer at Oregon. Which is fine, considering Smith Jr. is still being groomed.

But given the amount of talent the Ducks are reeling in under Dan Lanning, how likely is it that Smith Jr. will follow his father in becoming the Ducks’ starting signal-caller?

A specimen at 6-foot-6 and over 230 pounds with football genes coursing through his veins, it’s not like the framework isn’t there for it to happen, but in the age of transfer portal mania to accompany blue chip recruiting, the windows of opportunity get considerably smaller than before.

Having one of the best QB rooms in the nation is a great thing, but it makes anyone who watched 90’s Oregon Football wonder if they’ll ever get a chance to watch another Akili Smith toss touchdowns at Autzen Stadium…