Wednesday War Room: Previewing the RB position for 2026

 

If you strip it down to numbers, Oregon’s running back room entering 2026 looks stable.

The Ducks rushed for 2,979 yards in 2025 at 5.4 yards per carry with 35 touchdowns. A significant chunk of that production returns. The two most explosive young backs are back. The touchdown leader is back.

But the shape of the room has changed.

Noah Whittington is gone. Jayden Limar is gone. Jay Harris is gone. Makhi Hughes moved on after a redshirt. What Oregon lost wasn’t just yards — it lost experience and layers. What remains is younger, more explosive, and less settled behind the top two.

The Cornerstones: Davison and Hill

The reason there’s no panic entering 2026 is simple: Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. already carried real weight as true freshmen.

Davison finished 2025 with 667 yards on 113 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt and scoring 15 touchdowns. At 6-foot, 236 pounds, he doesn’t look like a sophomore. He looks like a back built for late November. His recruitment out of Mater Dei carried national weight — consensus top-100 player, California’s No. 1 back, 3,499 all-purpose yards and 46 touchdowns in high school — but what mattered most in 2025 was how quickly the staff trusted him.

Fifteen touchdowns as a freshman isn’t an accident. That’s red-zone confidence. That’s pass protection reliability. That’s ball security.

Hill brings a different problem for defenses. On just 75 carries in 2025, he produced 656 yards — 8.7 yards per carry — and five touchdowns. His acceleration shows up immediately on film. The track background (11.04 in the 100 meters) translates when he clears the first level. He forces safeties to take sharper angles and linebackers to hesitate.

If Davison is the stabilizer, Hill is the accelerant.

Together, they accounted for 1,350 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns as freshmen. That’s the foundation of the 2026 offense.

What Oregon Lost

Whittington’s 829 yards (6.4 per carry) represented steadiness. He was the veteran presence who understood tempo, protections, and situational football. His absence changes the emotional profile of the room.

Limar’s departure via the portal removes versatility. He wasn’t the primary engine of the run game, but he was a change-of-pace option who could stress defenses in space and contribute on special teams.

Harris and Hughes were depth pieces, but as the Ducks found out in the playoffsm depth matters over a long season that could be up to 17 games with conference playoffs and a trip to the national championship game season.

The top of the room is strong. The depth behind it now becomes the story.

The Swing Spot: RB3

This is where 2026 becomes interesting.

Da’Jaun Riggs enters the year as the most experienced option behind Davison and Hill — but also the most intriguing question mark.

At 6-0, 205 pounds, the Washington, D.C. product showed promise early in his career. As a true freshman in 2024, he appeared in two games, rushing 11 times for 82 yards and a touchdown while earning a strong Pro Football Focus grade in limited snaps. The flashes were there — balance, vision, enough burst to clear the second level.

Last season, he showed additional promise in limited action but missed significant time with injury, preventing him from building rhythm or carving out a larger role. That stalled momentum matters in a crowded room.

Riggs’ high school résumé at St. John’s was built on all-purpose versatility — over 1,000 all-purpose yards as a senior, 26 receptions, and multiple multi-touchdown performances. He has always projected as a balanced back rather than a niche player.

Now the opportunity is real.

The RB3 spot should be a genuine competition between Riggs, Tradarian Ball, and Brandon Smith.

Riggs brings familiarity with the system and collegiate reps.

Ball brings immediate receiving upside. As a senior in Texas, he caught 63 passes for 789 yards and nine touchdowns, on top of nearly 900 rushing yards. His profile fits the modern space-back mold — someone who can detach, motion, and stress linebackers in coverage. At 5-10, 175, he may not be a between-the-tackles volume runner yet, but his speed and ball skills create package flexibility.

Smith brings the highest athletic ceiling. The Fresno product rushed for 2,194 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior and owns legitimate track credentials — 10.6 in the 100 meters, 21.5 in the 200, and 46.8 in the 400. That 400 time hints at sustained speed, not just quick burst. He also played defense in high school, which speaks to instincts and physicality. Long term, he may develop into a featured piece. Short term, his explosiveness could earn him early snaps.

The expectation entering camp should be simple: all three will get real opportunities.

Oregon’s early-season schedule typically includes at least one or two games against overmatched opponents. Those are the snaps that decide depth charts. That’s where you find out who protects the ball. Who hits the crease cleanly. Who can handle 10 consecutive carries without losing efficiency.

This isn’t just a battle for RB3. It’s a battle for rotational trust.

The Big Picture

Oregon returns roughly two-thirds of its running back rushing production from 2025, and nearly all of its touchdown production at the position. The Ducks aren’t searching for a feature back. They already have two proven options in Davison and Hill.

What 2026 will determine is whether the room develops a reliable third layer.

If Riggs stays healthy and builds on the flashes he’s already shown, he could lock down the spot. If Ball’s receiving ability translates immediately, the offense may evolve schematically. If Smith’s speed proves too dynamic to keep off the field, the rotation may expand.

The floor of this room depends on health and development behind the top two.

The ceiling depends on whether the competition at RB3 produces another weapon.

For now, Oregon’s identity is clear: a powerful foundation in Davison, explosive elasticity in Hill, and a wide-open race behind them that could define how deep this offense can go in 2026.