At Oregon, the buzz around the running back room isn’t just about Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison anymore. It’s about what’s lining up behind them.
Hill, who broke out as a true freshman in 2025 by leading the Big Ten and ranking No. 2 nationally with 8.75 yards per rush, sees a unit that could cause problems all season long. With the Ducks heading into 2026 and Boise State coming to Eugene first on the schedule, Hill believes the depth chart itself is a weapon.
“I just see it as very scary for our opponent. I mean, not only our ones, but the threes and the fours.
We have huge depth here, and we have guys that are very hungry. And we, what’s so amazing about here is everyone’s competitive, so everyone’s going getting better.”
That kind of confidence speaks to what Dan Lanning and his staff have built at the position. Oregon’s backfield took hits during last season’s College Football Playoff run, and the Ducks had to patch things together in the CFP Semifinal against Indiana by moving two defensive players to running back because of injuries and transfer decisions. Even so, the group now looks stocked.
Hill and Davison are expected to be the headliners in their second seasons in Eugene, but the real intrigue comes from the rest of the room: Da'Jaun Riggs, transfer Simeon Price, and freshmen Tradarian Ball and Brandon Smith.
Hill said the daily competition is exactly the point.
“Iron sharpens iron, so every day you have a guy across the ball, or you have a guy in your room that you’re competing with for the love of the game, and then also to help each other learn the playbook too. That’s what we do here. Just we compete, and the works shows for itself come game time,” Hill continued.
Dante Moore pointed to the same thing when talking about Oregon’s overall depth, crediting Lanning for making sure the roster is ready when called upon.
“Last year showed how important is that you have everybody on roster on the same page when it comes to playing. There are times where we had to go 13 personnel for a whole day, we gotta go 21. Depth is important here and Coach Lanning does a great job preparing everybody for their moments," Moore said.
Among the names drawing attention, Riggs stands out as the most seasoned Duck in the offense. He’s entering his third season at Oregon, but injuries have limited his impact so far. Now healthy, he has a chance to carve out a role in a crowded room.
Smith is another player generating serious chatter in camp. Hill even compared him to Saquon Barkley, saying Smith picks up things quickly, runs with power, and has an edge to him. Smith also wears No. 26, the same number Barkley wears for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ball brings his own appeal. The true freshman from Texarkana, Texas, arrived from the same hometown as former Oregon star LaMichael James. A four-star recruit and early commit in the Ducks’ 2026 class, Ball is ranked No. 64 nationally and No. 4 among running backs.
Price adds a different layer. The Colorado transfer has been called “unc” by the team and arrives with a winding college path behind him, having played at Mississippi State in 2022-23, Coastal Carolina in 2024, and Colorado in 2025. Davison said Price has already made a strong impression.
"Simeon's a great person," Davison told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus. "He's going to compete.
Simeon, he wants it. This is his last year.
He's going to be a good piece to the room."
For Oregon, the message is clear: this is no longer just about a pair of stars at the top. The Ducks’ running back room has become a full-on competition, and Hill thinks that makes it a problem for everyone else.
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