Page 18 - Sports Illustrated KIDS Magazine (January - February 2020)

Justin HERBERT

team
Oregon Ducks

position
Quarterback

spotlight
After returning to school
for his senior season, the
hometown hero led his team

to a conference title while
solidifying his position as one of
the top QBs in the NFL draft.

BY KALYN KAHLER

ne year ago at this time, Justin
Herbert was projected as the No. 1
pick in many mock drafts. But the

Eugene, Oregon, native and general
science major with a 4.01 GPA
ma
O de the surprise decision to come
back to his hometown school for his senior year.
Herbert wanted one more season with the
Ducks and a chance to be teammates again
with his younger brother, Pat.
Herbert’s 240-pound frame and arm
strength fit the mold of a model NFL QB, but
his personality isn’t what you’d expect of a
future franchise leader. At the end of last
season, Ducks offensive coordinator Marcus
Arroyo gave Herbert the book Quiet: The Power
of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
Arroyo’s wife is a psychologist, and she marked
specific sections of the book she thought would
be helpful to Herbert.
The quarterback isn’t on any social media to
avoid what he calls “unneeded attention” and

the negativity that abounds on the Internet.

16 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS