Dierre Hill Jr. Doesn't Hold Back About Second Year With Oregon Ducks

When it came to the Oregon Ducks' ground game throughout the 2025-2026 season, Dierre Hill Jr. was the name to know. The true freshman led the Big Ten Conference with 8.75 yards per carry, and continued to use his physicality to clinch a 90.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus which not only eclipsed his Oregon teammates that season, but also the conference.

During the 2026 offseason, Hill returns to Eugene with his eyes on all-time Oregon rushers, hoping to develop his skills into becoming the go-to every down back.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, left, hands off the ball to Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. during warmups as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a media availability on Thursday for the Ducks' spring practice, Hill spoke about his thoughts on a variety of topics from teammates to the results of last years' season.

Dierre Hill's Thoughts on the Offseason

"This offseason has been very great. I've been able to show my coaches that I can be trustworthy with knowing the plays, knowing my blocking assignments, and just being able to play fast and physical. So it's been great," Hill said.

How Dierre Hill is Working to be an Every Down Back

"Yes, it's definitely helped me being able to just look over my notes, and I actually, like, truly analyze them, not being able to, like, not being in season, to really just a little setback, and actually just go through all of it. It's just really opened my eyes up," Hill said.

"I watched tremendous film and been with some of my other brothers in the room, guy like Jordon Davidson, he helped me tremendously. And my guy, coach Samp as usual, just being able to have those in the room and helped me just be the best version of myself and what the team needs. I can't be out there if I can't block from my, you know, my quarterback number five. So it's just been, it's been great, and I want to keep learning and keep growing, because there's a lot more work to do," Hill added.

Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. works out as the Oregon Ducks practice on Jan. 5, 2025, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon, ahead of the Peach Bowl. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dierre Hill Reflecting on His Time With the Ducks so Far

"Yeah, this is the time I came around. It's really been great. It's been such a true blessing to start it off. Man, it was, it was, it was a lot for me. I would have been, I would have still been in high school, and I had to grow up very fast. The tempo was just so different from high school transferring over to college," Hill said.

"I just just had a lot going on mentally, and it was just like hard to really slow myself down. And being with my teammates and my coaches and them helping me and just trusting the process, it just slowed the game down for me, where I can play fast and physical and still have fun and be the person I am," Hill said. "It's really been great. You had great guys in the room. We all know Noah Noah Whittington. You know he just trying to enter that draft. He's been a tremendous help too."

"Him being a veteran guy in our room, and him being able to just sprinkle so much into me, and I just take that in and use it all, and it's helped me tremendously now. So it's really great to be in the position I am in, and I'm just truly blessed for this opportunity," Hill said.

Oregon’s Dierre Hill Jr., left, outruns James Madison’s Justin Eaglin during the first quarter at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 20, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dierre Hill Breaks Down Noah Whittington's Impact

"I would say the biggest thing I've tried to set an example on how Noah has done it is just leading by example. He's been a great leader doing that, and he's also very vocal," Hill said.

"He knows how to lead by example, and also, you know, talk to us and be that good teammate we need not just harness us, you know, when we're doing bad, but just bring us in as we're his little brothers, and show us what we did wrong and what we can do to make that play or make this assignment better or, you know, ourselves and for the sake of the team, Noah is just he's a true leader and a way I can help my team and help my brothers in The room, you know, the new guys, me and JD, you know, we're the older guys in the room now," Hill said.

"So the way we can help them is by leading by example and them seeing how we do it the right way. They can follow our footsteps. And any questions they have, we should be able to answer them for them," Hill said.

New Oregon running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples talks with running back Jordan James during practice with the Oregon Ducks Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Ra'Shaad Samples' Angry Coaching

"Yes, Coach Samp can be very mean at times. Someone like the new guys that have came in already has asked me the question, was he this hard on you, too? And I just smile, is just like, yes, he really is. You wouldn't be here if he wasn't hard on you, you know, and he just sees so much potential in us. He pushes us to the max," Hill said.

"He pushes us out of our comfort zone. And that's what we want. You know, coming here at Oregon, that's what, exactly what we're looking for. He's a guy who knows how to get on us and also be a guy who can, you know, joke with us and show us He loves us as well. So just us having that undivided respect and attention from him, this helps us tremendously," Hill said.

"I mean, we know when to lock in and, like, be serious, and when we can, you know, have fun and play and, you know, just enjoy life and being in the moment we are in. Coach, he, don't even know how to really explain it. I mean, he's just like, we know when he's serious. That's really what it is."

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. (23) carries the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Dierre Hill Opens Up About Competition Within the Running Back Corps

"It's really a lot. I was that guy last year in the same spot they were in. My focus was just doing whatever my team needed me to do. So that's just right now, just making sure we get the plays down, and just getting that protection stuff, getting that down first," Hill said.

"That's the most important thing, and making sure our bar security is top notch, because without the ball, we can't do anything. So making sure we know our plays, assignments, alignment and ball security, that's that I would say the biggest thing is just focusing on that, and then the rest will take care of itself. Because, I mean, we're all talented, and we know that we have a tremendous gift that God has blessed us with. So just making sure we do the things we know we need to work on, and then everything else will take care of itself," Hill said.

Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. celebrates a touchdown as the Oregon Ducks face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 27, 2025, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

About Colorado Transfer Simeon Price

"He's a very positive guy," Hill said. "He brings a lot of energy. He's not a guy that shows too much negative emotion, just like I said, he's very positive, and that's a guy to easily, easily be around. You know, he's naturally positive, just as much as the whole room is, and he's genuine. He comes here every day. He has a great routine, and he works hard. And we love guys like that, because we're on the same page, you know? So bringing him in was great. He fits our program, and I'm looking forward to keep working with my brother."

Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Daniel Ndukwe (17) breaks up a pass intended for Oregon Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. (23) on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, during the Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dierre Hill Breaks Down Approach to Internal Competition

"We actually just had to talk about that. We try to talk about it a lot, actually, with me and Jordon. Everyone knows or the outside to the outside. It's, you know, it's a competition. We both can do tremendous things with the ball, but to me and him, that's my brother, and I just want to see him, to see and he wants to see me succeed," Hill said.

"Obviously, we have that competitive nature in us. That's just what God has blessed us with, but we truly just want to see each other do the best, and us doing the best is going out there, playing hard for one another and seeing each other succeed, because what God has in store for us can't No one stop, you know, and we just want to keep staying positive with each other. And there's obviously some negative comments that could always try to trickle in there, but we never let that affect us and what we have here," Hill said.

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. (23) carries the ball during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Dierre Hill Talks About the Players That Inspire Him

"Yes, I definitely have. Every guy you've named, literally. But to the biggest one that I've made the closest connection with was obviously Kenjon (Barner). He was here last year, in spring, when I first got here, we had a podcast," Hill said.

"He seen the he has said it, he has seen the raw talent in me, and he was just, just breaking my game down, and just like connecting with me, just seeing how it was mentally, he's been just a great mentor. He's been busy. I've been busy, but whenever we do talk, it's a wholesome feeling."

"You know, he's a legend here, and those guys who also named our legends, and I look up to them, and I know as far as the running back room, we all look up to them, because it's bigger than us. At the end of the day, it's the people who came before us, and we want to make them proud, and we want to just bring something here that hasn't been done yet, you know. And we carry that chip on our shoulder for the guy, for the guys before us as well," Hill said.

Dierre Hill Jr. Talks About His Biggest Growth Going Into 2026

"Oh, yeah, off rip, keeping my head up. That's the biggest my whole team says it. Anytime I see it, I just I get down to myself, because it's one hit away from an injury where I can never play the game again. And my teammates, my teammates and coaches have all said it, and I'm truly thankful for them, because they truly care about me," Hill said.

"Every single time they see it, they say it, and it's very serious, you know, and that's the biggest thing I really need to work on. I'm not I'm not afraid of contact or anything like that, but I have to make sure I keep myself protected at all times. And that's the biggest thing I can take so far, is making sure I keep my head up," Hill said.

Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dierre Hill Jr's Perspective on the Peach Bowl Against Indiana

"It was, honestly, it was a lot of chaos. But when things like that happen, you can't get caught up in it. You have to really just stay make sure you stay positive, because the minute you get caught up in it, you might be in it as well, meaning, like one of the guys that get injured," Hill said.

"So I just wanted to, like, make sure I try to stay positive and lean on my big brothers and make sure they're okay and make sure we're just all okay and staying positive, that's the biggest thing. Whenever you go to adversity, it's easy to get negative and self doubt or, you know, just get down to yourself," Hill added.

On What Excites Dierre Hill Jr. The Most About the 2026 Squad

"What excites me the most is just the energetic feel we have. You can just feel it when you're out there with the guys. We all have an edge on our shoulder. Obviously we didn't like how our season ended last year, so we're all hungry, and the guys that came in now, they understand that as well, and the young guys who are hungry as well, and you can see it. And it just makes us all even more eager and just want to go out there and play ball and go 110 percent you know, for the guy right next to us. So it's, it's really, it's really scary, I should say really scary," Hill said.

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