Oregon football: 4-star RB George Pettaway is name to watch

Oregon football picked up two commitments from four-star top-200 running backs in the 2021 class in the form of Seven McGee and Byron Caldwell and the Ducks are pushing for a top-100 rusher in the 2022 class which would likely fill that one spot in the backfield.

With Oregon landing two running backs in 2021, Mario Cristobal is likely saving just one spot, if that, for a running back in 2022 and he can be very selective here.

Luckily, the Ducks are in contention for one of the best running backs in the country in four-star George Pettaway from Suffolk, Va.

Right now, he has a top four of Penn State, Florida, North Carolina, and Oregon and he’s taken a trip to all three of his other finalists with the Ducks hoping to get an official this fall. If you want to see if that’s going to happen or not, Brian Dohn of 247Sports posted an update on his top four and his decision timeline with VIP access on Sunday.

When it comes to choosing just one running back to add to the 2022 class, Pettaway makes the most sense because of his national standing as well as the fact that he oozes talent and potential.

Dohn calls him an “electric” back who averaged over 14 yards per carry during this past spring and who scored touchdowns at will. He can get through the line and past the second line of defense easily with his speed and agility and he’s basically a touchdown threat every time he touches the ball.

If Oregon is going to land a running back in 2022, it’s going to be Pettaway.

How Oregon football stacks up with his finalists

Landing the No. 100 overall recruit and seventh-best running back in the class from the East Coast won’t be easy, but the Ducks stand as good a chance as any in his final group.

In fact, I would have to say Oregon is right up there at the top.

How do the Ducks stack up with his other finalists? Penn State already has two four-star running backs committed in its 2022 class so I’d be shocked if he chose the Nittany Lions. Florida has a top-200 running back committed who also happens to be a four-star so that could hurt the Gators’ chances. And North Carolina, who is the presumed favorite right now, has a top-150 running back committed.

Oregon is the only team in his final group without a running back committed in the 2022 class which could give him the impression that he could see the field earlier if he heads to Eugene.

Sure, the Ducks landing Caldwell and McGee in 2021 could hurt their chances, but at least he knows that he’d be “the guy” in the 2022 cycle and not just “another guy” in the backfield.

I would say Oregon and North Carolina would have to be the favorites here if I were simply guessing. Penn State has to be running fourth with two four-star running backs already committed and Florida is just ahead of the Nittany Lions.

Keep an eye on Pettaway moving forward.