Oregon Freshman Running Back Jamal Elliott has been granted his transfer request from the University of Oregon according to ScoopDuck.<!–h2?
Jamal Elliott was one of the top pieces of an impressive 2018 Recruiting Class for Head Coach Mario Cristobal. His decision was made following Spring Football and he will remain with Oregon Football through the end of the Spring Term. Elliott saw time on the Practice field leading up to the Spring Game.
With the departure of Royce Freeman by way of the NFL Draft, the Running Back position was key to fill for the coming years and Elliott was expected to be a key piece. In the Spring Game, he was surpassed by CJ Verdell, who scored two touchdowns in the game and looked impressive inside despite playing against teammates.
Tony Brooks-James is in line for the Starting Role this season, but injuries plagued his season in 2017. With the Ducks having depth for 2018, Elliott likely did not like his spot on the depth chart. He may have also been in line for a Red Shirt season.
Elliott is considered the 12th best Running Back in North Carolina and 208th overall for the Class of 2018 according to ScoopDuck. While his transfer is a hit to the 2018 Class, depending on how others pan out this season, it could be more of a blemish.
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Oregon Football has six commitments for the 2019 Recruiting Class and will likely add a Running Back. The Ducks Running Backs Coach Jim Mastro has an impressive history of building a solid staple of players from the ground up. The Ducks enter the 2018 season with Tony Brooks-James and Taj Griffin entering their Senior Seasons. Darrian Felix will see more playing time as a Sophomore, and Freshman CJ Verdell and Cyrus Habibi-Likio will likely find the field as well.