What to make of Oregon Ducks' RB rotation ahead of CFP rematch

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Many Oregon Duck fans will tell you from experience that it would not be a big game for the football program without storylines leading up to the matchup concerning player availability.

This happened over a decade ago when Oregon was preparing for the first-ever College Football Playoff national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, and it’s now happening once again as Oregon gets set to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in a rematch at the Peach Bowl on Friday night, in the semifinals of the CFP.

This time, however, it’s an injury that’s causing speculation, rather than a suspension.

On Monday, news broke that true freshman running back Jordon Davison, one of the team’s leading rushers, would miss the remainder of the season with a broken collarbone that was suffered last week in a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. While this Oregon team has dealt with numerous injuries so far this year, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, this ailment is a bit different.

Oregon’s “next-man-up” mantra may be more difficult to uphold when there are fewer men to step up. We all have the transfer portal to thank for that one.

Earlier this month, reserve RBs Makhi Hughes, Jay Harris, and Jayden Limar all announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, meaning they would leave the team for the remainder of the CFP run. However, head coach Dan Lanning confirmed on Thursday that Harris was still with the team and should be available to play in Friday’s game if his number is called.

With that knowledge, let’s take a look at who is left standing for the Ducks in the RB room, and what their role might be in the semifinal.

Noah Whittington

2025 Stats: 129 rushes, 829 yards, 6 TDs

Even with Jordon Davison healthy, Noah Whittington was still the lead back on the team, both in rushing attempts and yards. He is the veteran of the offense and one of the most important pieces of the roster as a whole. Look for Whittington to have a big role in the game plan once again, and watch as he potentially has one of the biggest games of his career.

Dierre Hill Jr.

2025 Stats: 70 rushes, 570 yards, 5 TDs

Another freshman phenom, this could be a massive spot for Dierre Hill to step up without Jordon Davison alongside him. Hill has been an explosive runner this year and has provided some of the season’s best highlights. However, Hill struggled against Indiana last time these two teams played, as he is more of a dynamic runner outside of the tackles, and the Hoosiers found a way to bottle him up. If Hill can get going on Friday, it would be massive for the Ducks.

Jay Harris

2025 Stats: 26 rushes, 116 yards, 1 TD

Despite entering the transfer portal, Jay Harris is available to play, according to Lanning, which is an unprecedented development in Oregon sports. Should the Ducks actually lean on Harris and give him a generous share of carries, it will be a huge opportunity for him, playing on a national stage with his name in the portal and other teams watching. He is a big, bruising-type back, standing at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, and could fit nicely in that Jordon Davison role on short-yardage situations.

Zander Quinn

2025 Stats: None

This is probably a name that not many Oregon fans were aware of before the week’s injury drama began. Quinn is a walk-on RB from Hawaii who has yet to see the field this year and has not recorded any collegiate stats, according to my research.

Who Else Could Play RB?

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this, but with such a short list of RBs on the roster now due to injuries and transfers, there’s a chance the Ducks may have to get creative, as we’ve seen them do before. Could other position players step in at RB and take a carry or two? It may be unlikely, but it’s not impossible. Here are some names that intrigue me:

TE Kenyon Sadiq

In all honesty, what can’t Kenyon Sadiq do? We’ve seen him line up in the backfield and take a few handoffs on reverses throughout his career. At 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, there are certainly worse options than Sadiq lined up as an RB near the goal line.

LB Bryce Boettcher

It wasn’t long ago that Bryce Boettcher lined up as an RB in the wildcat against USC and punched one into the endzone for a touchdown. While I may trust someone like Sadiq more with the ball in his hands due to his field vision and ball security, you can’t convince me that there are many people who would get in the way of Boettcher once he gets a nose for the endzone.

LB Brayden Platt

Much like Boettcher, we’ve seen Brayden Platt do this before. While it wasn’t at Oregon, Platt was an accomplished running back at the high school level in Washington, and he could be a solid option there. Platt also practiced a bit with the RBs this past week ahead of the Peach Bowl.

DB Kilohana Haasenritter

Walk-on defensive back Kilohana Haasenritter has been on the roster for quite a while, and he was a running back before switching over to defensive back. It’s fair to think that he could flip back if needed, right? In his career, Haasenritter has nine carries for 46 yards and a touchdown.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Who will play RB for Oregon Ducks ahead of CFP rematch vs. Indiana?

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