We are less than 50 days away from the start of the 2025 college football season, and fewer than two weeks stand between us and the beginning of the Oregon Ducks‘ fall camp getting off the ground in Eugene. While coaches and players wrap up their final couple of offseason weeks, we’re ready to jump back into things and take a deep dive into what’s set to take place at Autzen Stadium this year.
The Ducks are coming off of an incredible season that saw a 12-0 regular season, a Big Ten Championship, and the No. 1 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The offseason brought significant roster turnover as Oregon sent a program record 10 players into the 2025 NFL draft; however, those players have been replaced by a young yet incredibly talented group of players ready to uphold the standard in Eugene.
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Will they be able to complete the job? Expectations are high, but it won’t be an easy task. Over the next few weeks, many questions will be asked, and a significant number of them will be answered. Once we get a look at things during fall camp, we will be able to predict more accurately how things shape up. However, we already have our depth chart projections for offense and defense from spring. As we continue our preview of the 2025 season, leading up to the kick-off vs. Montana State on August 30, let’s take a deep dive, position by position.
Previous Position Previews
Now let’s take a closer look at the running backs as we prepare for fall camp.
Overall Oregon Ducks RB Check-In
Oregon running back Noah Whittington is hoisted into the air after a touchdown as the Oregon Ducks host Hawaii Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
While the Ducks saw a pair of running backs — Bucky Irving and Jordan James — take off for the NFL over the past two years, the stable of RBs in Eugene is still in a great spot, thanks to transfer portal activity and adept recruiting. The biggest question at the moment for Oregon is where the production is going to come from, more in the terms of having too many mouths to feed, rather than too few.
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With guys like Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes, returners Noah Whittington, Jayden Limar, and Da’Jaun Riggs, there are a number of guys who could step up and be the guy for the Ducks. But will this be a year where Oregon has an RB1, or could they deploy a committee over the next 12-15 games and keep everyone fresh?
Let’s look at the whole picture, breaking down who arrived this year, who left, and who remains at the running back spot going into fall camp.
Oregon Ducks RB Departures
Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James carries the ball for a touchdown as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Jordan James
Career Stats: 38 games, 386 carries, 2,215 yards (5.7 YPA), 31 TDs, 42 catches, 347 yards (8.3 YPC), 1 TD
After shouldering the load of one of the best rushing offenses in 2024, Jordan James is off to the NFL after three years at Oregon. James was an integral piece in the Ducks’ offense as a freshman in 2022, and his role only grew from there. His tough running and breakaway speed will make him an asset for the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him in the 2025 NFL draft.
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Returning Oregon Ducks RBs
Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Da’Jaun Riggs (21) picks up a first down during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Noah Whittington
Career Stats: 55 games, 394 carries, 2,121 yards (5.4 YPA), 15 TDs, 71 catches, 446 yards (6.3 YPC), 3 TDs
The most experienced member of Oregon’s 2025 running back room is Noah Whittington, who will play his fourth season as a Duck in 2025, and his sixth in college. Whittington has never been the No. 1 back at Oregon, but since his transfer from Western Kentucky in 2022, he’s been an integral part of Oregon’s rushing and passing game, and he could be more important than ever in 2025.
Jayden Limar
Career Stats: 25 games, 49 carries, 180 yards (3.7 YPA), 1 TD, 9 catches, 132 yards (14.7 YPC), 1 TD
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Jayden Limar will return to the Ducks in 2025, following two seasons with the team. Limar hasn’t seen much action besides late-game garbage time, but his experience at Oregon has allowed him to take some competitive snaps. He looked great in the spring game earlier this year, and I expect him to see more meaningful time next fall, helping to fill the Jordan James-shaped gap.
Da’Jaun Riggs
Career Stats: 2 games, 11 carries, 82 yards (7.5 YPA), 1 TD
A name to watch out for this season is Da’Jaun Riggs, the redshirt freshman from Washington, D.C. We got to see flashes of Riggs in 2024 at the ends of two blowout games, and his running style kept eyes glued to TVs long after the result of the game was decided. Riggs won’t be getting starting reps this season, but I expect him to see some meaningful action in 2025.
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Jay Harris
Career Stats (Division I): 4 games, 10 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch, 2 yards
The final Oregon RB returner is former Northwest Missouri State star Jay Harris, who didn’t do much in 2024. Harris is big, speedy, and strong, which gives him a lot of upside, but it’s hard to see him carving out a huge share of the carries with this loaded backfield.
Incoming Oregon Ducks RBs
EUGENE, OREGON – APRIL 26: Makhi Hughes #20 of the Oregon Ducks runs with the ball during the Oregon spring game at Autzen Stadium on April 26, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Makhi Hughes (Tulane)
Career Stats: 28 games, 523 carries, 2,779 yards (5.3 YPA), 22 TDs, 30 catches, 243 yards (8.1 YPC), 2 TDs
Makhi Hughes is among Oregon’s most exciting transfer pickups of the 2024-25 offseason. In two seasons at Tulane, Hughes has been one of the top running backs in college football, and at Oregon, where he’ll be running behind one of the best O-lines in the country, he could be even better.
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Jordon Davison – 4-star recruit
247Sports Recruiting Profile: 4-star Recruit (90), No. 20 RB in class of 2025
At 6 feet, 216 pounds, Jordon Davison brings a good mix of size and speed as one of two freshmen in Oregon’s RB room. He likely won’t see the field much in 2025, but Davison could be an impact player for the Ducks down the road after a redshirt season.
Dierre Hill – 4-star recruit
247Sports Recruiting Profile: 4-star Recruit (91), No. 13 RB in class of 2025
At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Hill has been described as the lightning to Jordon Davison’s thunder in the backfield. With agility and speed, Hill could have a big role in the Oregon RB room down the road, but he will likely redshirt this season.
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Predicting the Oregon Ducks RB Starters
Oregon running back Makhi Hughes participates in spring practices for the Ducks at Autzen Stadium.
Prediction: Makhi Hughes
Whittington is so consistent, and Riggs is an exciting idea, but the starter for Oregon next season will, in all likelihood, be Makhi Hughes. Hughes needed no time to adjust from high school to college as a freshman in 2023, when he rushed for nearly 1400 yards and led the AAC — and he should fit like a glove in Will Stein’s offense.
The Ducks aren’t a team that will call its top running back’s name 25 times a game, but one that will run the ball by committee. I don’t see Whittington starting, but he, Riggs, Limar, and Harris will have the opportunity to make impactful plays for Oregon next season.
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Overall Oregon Ducks RB Outlook
Fighting Ducks running back Jayden Limar is hoisted into the air after a touchdown as the Fighting Ducks face off against Mighty Oregon in the Oregon Ducks spring game on April 26, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Losing Jordan James the year after losing Bucky Irving is never easy to deal with, but the health of Oregon’s program is on full display with its running back continuity. Makhi Hughes is inches from stardom, and Oregon is the place to take that next step — or leap. Behind him is Whittington, who would be a bell-cow at many Power 4 programs, plus budding young players in Riggs, Limar, and Harris. Beyond that, the thunder and lightning duo of Davison and Hill provides some excitement for the future, as does 4-star RB commit Tradarian Ball in the 2026 class.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks running back preview ahead of 2025 season
