It seems fair to pencil in Makhi Hughes and Noah Whittington as the RB1 and 2, but competition for the third spot will be hotly contested through spring and fall practice.
Let’s take a look at the depth chart for running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples' group.
Makhi Hughes - Junior
2024 stats: 265 carries, 1401 yards, 5.3 YPC, 15 TD, 19 receptions, 176 yards, 2 receiving TD
Makhi Hughes was underrated and under recruited coming out of Huffman High School in Alabama. Rated outside of the top 100 running backs in the nation for the class of 2022, Hughes exploded as a true freshman for the Tulane Green Wave, rushing for well over 1000 yards.
Without watching him play, Hughes is built similarly to Jordan James. After all, their physical measurements are nearly identical.
Despite the physical similarities, he offers a bit more twitch and long-speed than what James offered. In 2024, Oregon struggled to hit on explosive runs, very rarely getting 20+ yards on a given carry.
While this shouldn’t be relied on, it can be a huge plus for the offense, and Hughes provides the skill set to produce big plays.
Oregon’s new RB1: Makhi Hughes 🦆 pic.twitter.com/r1jyj1cOWr
— 𝗦𝗖𝗢 (@69sco_) January 7, 2025
While the Big Ten is a step up in competition, the American Athletic Conference, where Tulane plays, is no slouch. They are consistently one of the best conferences in the group of five.
Hughes has put up solid numbers against power conference teams, registering 92 yards against Ole Miss, 88 yards against Virginia Tech, 128 yards against Kansas State, and 71 versus Oklahoma.
A fun fact about Hughes, he is the half brother of recent Oregon signee, five star defensive back Na’eem Offord, following a long line of brothers being on the team in recent years.
Noah Whittington - Redshirt Senior
2024 stats: 118 carries, 540 yards, 6 TD, 4.6 YPC, 24 receptions, 136 yards, 2 receiving TD
Whittington enters his fourth season as a Duck, and sixth season of his college career in 2025. He has been a great “RB2” option for Oregon, primarily splitting carries with Bucky Irving and Jordan James in his tenure.
Noah Whittington originally signed to, and spent two years with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Whittington tore his ACL in 2023, causing him to miss a majority of the season. He returned from injury faster than expected, but it was clear it took some time for him to hit full stride in 2024.
Outside of his impressive 99 yard kickoff return touchdown (actually credited to Jayden Limar, for recovering a fumble in the end zone) against Boise State early on, he did not really “pop” until about week eight, where not only did the stats improve, so did the “eye test”. He looked closer to the near-800 yard rusher that Oregon fans met in 2022.
Oregon fans should be thrilled to have Whittington back for another year. Everyone wants to see the new guys play, but his experience not only in Will Stein’s system, but in college football as a whole is invaluable to the team.
Jayden Limar - Junior
2024 stats: 25 carries, 71 yards, 2.8 YPC, 0 TD, 2 Receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD
A former four star recruit from the state of Washington, Limar did not utilize a redshirt as a true freshman in 2023. He had a similar number of carries in both of his first two seasons with the Ducks, but has yet to break through into a role of any significance.
Even when Jordan James was banged up, and playing hurt for parts of 2024, Limar did not see many significant snaps. As a highly touted recruit, it is safe to say that up to today, Jayden Limar has been disappointing for the Ducks, especially considering he rushed for almost 40 less yards in 2024 than he did in 2023, on one more carry.
Limar has shown some good upside, such as his impressive screen pass catch to the house against Oregon State in 2024. He could be valuable for the Ducks in 2025, but there are some very exciting pieces behind him on the depth chart.
Da’Jaun “Dink” Riggs - Redshirt Freshman
2024 Stats: 11 carries, 82 yards, 7.5 YPC, 1 TD
When games got out of reach in 2024, Da’Jaun or “Dink” Riggs seemed like the clear second option for the Ducks. While only appearing in two games, he made very good on his opportunities.
Sure, his numbers came in garbage time in games clearly out of reach for the opponent (Illinois and Washington were the games he appeared in), but nearly 8 yards per carry is no stat to gloss over. Riggs has seemingly impressed the staff beyond what fans have been able to see, as Will Stein has labelled him “Little Bucky.”
Although Jayden Limar is the more experienced back, Riggs’ skill set could make him a more than viable option for the third spot on the depth chart.
Jay Harris - Redshirt Junior
2024 Stats: 10 carries, 35 yards, 3.5 YPC, 1 TD, 1 reception, 2 yards, 0 TD
Maybe the biggest question mark of the entire room, Harris was one of the best division two football players in the country during his time at Northwest Missouri State, prior to transferring to Oregon. The immediate jump from D-II to the Big Ten is rather significant, but Harris has the physical tools to make it work.
Harris stands at 6 feet 2 inches, and weighs 215 pounds, but plays much larger than that. He maxed-out his redshirt season, appearing in four games, recording stats against Oregon State and Purdue.
While he may not be the third best back on the team (the safest guess is Limar, but the best guess is Riggs), Harris has the chance to carve out a niche for himself in the offense.
He could easily turn into a short yardage back for the Ducks, a role Jordan James had as a true freshman. Not only would this get Harris on the field, but it could be a valuable piece for Will Stein’s offense.
Dierre Hill - True Freshman
One of two running backs Oregon’s high school class of 2025, Dierre Hill is a twitchy, light weight (for now) running back from Illinois. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois in both his junior and senior season.
Dierre Hill is a name to be excited for in the future, but unlikely to crack the rotation in 2025. His game is reminiscent of the Chip Kelly era in terms of speed, agility and as a home run threat.
Jordan Davidson - True Freshman
The second tailback of the 2025 high school class, Davidson comes to Oregon by way of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. His game is different from Hill’s but could compliment each other very well in the future.
247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said that “Davidson is a big, physical power back… strong inside runner who can pick up tough yards after contact but has enough speed and burst to make plays outside the box as well.”
Oregon commit Jordon Davison was a steady force in #2 Mater Dei’s 31-15 W against #1 Bishop Gorman 😤
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) September 7, 2024
-19 carries
-90 yards
-2 touchdowns @Jord0n2 | @MDFootball pic.twitter.com/s489CZ8ghD
Stay tuned to Autzen Zoo for information coming out of Oregon spring practice, resuming April 2!