Despite starting 22 of his first 25 games at right tackle, Oregon redshirt junior offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton was in a position battle before the 2018 season. The question, however, was not if he would start but where he would start?
Freshman Penei Sewell, redshirt junior Brady Aiello and junior George Moore were locked in a battle for a starting tackle spot, and Throckmorton’s position would be based off of who won the job — taking him off the line entirely was out of the question. Sewell went on to win the left tackle job, and Throckmorton remained at his more comfortable right tackle spot, knowing that if something were to happen to Sewell, he would need to move four spots over.
In his third year as a starter on the offensive line, Throckmorton has used steady play and versatility to become the anchor of Oregon’s offensive line — while also staying on the pre-med track.
“Calvin’s really rare,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “To be able to play every position on the front is really, really impressive. We’re really fortunate to have him. He’s a huge piece of what we do.”
Throckmorton was recently thrust into left tackle action when Sewell was injured against Washington. The position change brought more responsibilities, specifically the need to protect the quarterback’s blind side.
“I mean, the only real adjustment you need to make is just flipping schemes in your head,” Throckmorton said after the Washington game. “Other than that, throughout the whole week, we prepare. You can hope for the best, but you should expect the worst when it comes to anything during the course of the game. We just always want to make sure we’re ready and we were.”
Now in his third week of practice at left tackle, Throckmorton is comfortable on the left side, in part because left guard Shane Lemieux has eased the transition for him. The two developed a friendship when they arrived on campus in 2015, and now for the first time are lining up right next to each other on the line.
“It’s been nice because we’ve been together so long. Even though I wasn’t playing right next to him, we still have a lot of chemistry,” Throckmorton said. “We can kind of predict what each other are going to be doing on each play, and how each other are going to play certain looks or how we’re gonna block certain plays. So it’s been an easy transition.”
Throughout his collegiate career, Throckmorton has started 33 consecutive games at three of the five offensive line positions (left tackle, right guard and right tackle) and also spent the spring at center when starter Jake Hanson was injured.
“I have full confidence that I could play all five positions on the offensive line,” Throckmorton said. “The only position that I haven’t played in practice or a game is left guard, but I have no doubt in my mind that I’d be able to slide down there if I needed.”
With the change, Throckmorton has not lost a step. In fact, his streak of 1,934 snaps without allowing a sack is only growing.
“He’s a beast,” Lemieux said. “He can really do it all. His confidence and maturity and the way he carries himself at every single position is awesome. … He could probably be an all league Pac-12 guy at guard, center or tackle. His level of athletic ability and his level of performance is incredible.”
In order to improve his technique, Throckmorton has spent an inordinate amount of time studying others in his positions. He has an extensive knowledge of NFL talent and watches film of Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith and Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari.
“I’m still trying to cover all my bases,” Throckmorton said. “I mean, even before I switched to left tackle, I was still trying to look at all of the best tackles in the league.”
He also studies more than just football. The pre-med student, now in his fourth year of college, has been shadowing an orthopedic surgeon this fall as he prepares for medical school.
“It was great,” Throckmorton said. “I’m moving more away from it now just because, as midterms roll around, school work got a little bit heavier. I’m focusing on that along with studying up for the games ahead.”
Clearly the studying is paying off. Throckmorton won last season’s team award for academic excellence and was named Academic All-Pac-12 first team in his first two seasons.
Because Lemieux, a fellow two-time Academic All-Pac-12 first team lineman, has a secure grip on left guard, the likelihood of Throckmorton adding the position to his list of talents is low, but quarterback Justin Herbert sees others as possibilities.
“We joked about that in one of the media meetings after the game, that he could probably play seven or eight positions on the field, not just five,” Herbert said. “He could play quarterback, tight end, I don’t know about receiver or running back. He throws the ball pretty well.”
Throckmorton does not have as much confidence as Herbert.
“I think he gives me a lot of credit and I appreciate it,” Throckmorton said. “I think I’m going to stick to offensive line, maybe be able to slide out to tight end. Other than that, I’m not gonna push my luck.”
When asked about the possibility of his tackle getting some snaps or catches, head coach Mario Cristobal was not as excited.
“Good luck,” Cristobal said with a smile.
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack