MAHALO, MARCUS MARIOTA

Marcus Mariota’s stellar college football career is over. The Oregon junior, who won the Heisman Trophy and steered the Ducks to the national championship game against Ohio State, announced on Wednesday that he would forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

In recent weeks, the draftniks at ESPN seemed more and more convinced that Mariota’s skills would translate well to the NFL. When the pundits suggest that you may well be the first player picked in the draft, it’s probably a good idea to make yourself available for that draft.

 
Mariota racked up ridiculous numbers in Oregon’s high-speed offense. He threw at least one touchdown pass in each of the 41 games he started over three years and he set a Pac-12 single-season mark in 2014 with his 58 touchdowns – 42 passing, 15 rushing and 1 receiving. He’s one of four quarterbacks to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 2,000 in his career.

He wanted to win a national title. Despite the Ducks’ offensive prowess and terrific record, that just never happened. Monday night’s 42-20 beating by Ohio State ended the dream.

The Hawaiian-born Mariota was the first Oregon quarterback to win the Heisman, and nothing he did on or off the field embarrassed the school. The NFL won’t have to probe his character too deeply (and can spend more time on Jameis Winston).

“He’s given this program everything we could have asked, and he’ll be the standard by which others are judged,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said in a statement. “Mahalo.”

Mahalo. That’s “Thank you” in Hawaiian. Nice touch.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .