Brandon Finney Jr. was one of the most highly-touted recruits in the 2025 high school class, the No. 6 CB in the country and top overall player in his home state of Maryland. However, he didn’t take for granted that his overwhelming talent would produce immediate results. Instead, he spent the summer in Eugene, often working out in the team facility alone ahead of his freshman year.
On New Year’s Day in the Oregon Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal, all those extra hours paid off. Finney was named the Oregon Bowl MVP with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and six total tackles. He was the best player on the field and all but sealed the 23-0 Oregon victory, hauling in his second pick of the game in the end zone to thwart Texas Tech’s most promising drive of the day.
“You get out what you put in,” Finney told ESPN’s Stormy Buonantony on the field postgame when asked about his remarkable work ethic. “Even if I didn’t have the season that I’m having right now, I would still be putting in the work. I’m not really expecting any outcome; I do it just to build confidence.”
Brandon Finney named Oregon Bowl MVP with 2-interception performance vs. Texas Tech
Finney wasn’t even the highest-rated 2025 cornerback in the Oregon recruiting class, slotting in behind five-star Na’eem Offord. Yet, he’s usurped Offord and plenty of veterans on the Oregon depth chart after beginning the season in a somewhat limited role. Now, like other Oregon true freshmen, Dakorien Moore, Dierre Hill Jr., and Jordon Davison, he has worked his way into Dan Lanning’s good graces and carved out a full-time role in the biggest games of the year.
While Lanning does dip into the portal, including for his last three starting quarterbacks, his roster is built through high school, and no team, at least not any team contending for the national championship, leans as heavily on true freshmen as the Ducks. Beyond Finney’s contributions, both Oregon’s touchdowns came courtesy of true freshman running back Jordon Davison, the 25th and 26th touchdowns by an Oregon true freshman this season.
The Ducks are just two wins away from the program’s first-ever national championship, but because Lanning continues to find budding stars like Finney with championship mindsets and elite work ethic, the Ducks are positioned to compete for years to come.