Running Back Dierre Hill Jr. Turns Heads With Bold Saquon Barkley Comparison

True freshmen running backs played a key role in the Oregon Ducks’ 2025 season. Now entering his sophomore season, Dierre Hill Jr. addressed the media ahead of Week 1 and spoke about his offseason improvement and handling big emotions against the Boise State Broncos.

But the standout 2025 running back ended his presser with a bold player comparison for Brandon Smith – who could be the running back next in line to take over for No. 2 Oregon as a true freshman.

oregon ducks dierre hill running backs saquon barkley brandon smith dante moore dan lanning offensive line boise state — Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies on Nov. 29, 2025, at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Everything Dierre Hill Jr. Said

Who Brandon Smith Reminds Him of:

“Brandon, I really wouldn't say like he reminds me of anybody from like here. He has his own style of play, but he's very, very, very good for a young back. He came in and he learns things very fast, runs hard, and just has the edge.”

“Like he wants to be here, you can tell by just how he practices. So, for him, I really, I guess you could say probably Saquon Barkley. That's kind of the thing we've been saying in our room. He wears 26. Kind of has the stride of Saquon. So, I would probably say Saquon if I had to say someone.”

What Offseason Skill He’s Most Excited to Showcase:

“Oh, really, my pass protection. A lot of people I know were just wondering on if I could do it, if I could be there for my team in that aspect. And this year, I have dialed in on the process, so I say pass protection for sure.”

Handling Emotions of Game 1:

“Really, just positive self-talk. Been playing the game for a while now, but not at this level. But just growing up, always having the chip on your shoulder. The whole team. We're all very humble, so it's really just a, it's not a hard transition for us.”

“Just doing what we've normally done, it could become a normal tradition for us. So, just staying positive throughout circumstances of what the game could be, and just trusting each other in our preparation.”

How Dante Moore Is Different This Season:

“Coming in my freshman year, Dante was more so quiet. I was a freshman, so like I didn't really interact with him too much. But coming into the second year, Dante has been more of a huge vocal leader for us. He knows he's the guy. He knows he's our quarterback, and you know it starts with him.”

“So him just being more of a vocal leader and just staying positive, because it's not going to be perfect all the time, and you know we have some hiccups here and there in practice. But just him staying dialed in and focused on the next play helps the whole offense stay on it.”

“Focus on the next play because when we see (Dante) doing the right things, and we see (Dante) handling the situation well, we have no choice but to do the same. I mean that's our quarterback.”

Why Pass Protection Was Challenging for Him as a Freshman:

“Yeah, definitely. I didn't have to block as much in high school. I really got to fall a lot, where I was running a route. I never really had to pass pro a real for real a lot of the times. But coming here, coach Samp seeing that was the issue off the rip.”

“He knew I could run, but pass protection is everything. I mean, I can't be out there if I can't be trusted to protect our guy, our number one guy, which is Dante. He has to be protected at all costs. Just going into it, it's really just a lot of technical things. The physicality part's not really an issue.”

“It's really just a lot of technical, making sure I have hands inside and driving my feet. Obviously, I wouldn't say I'm small guy because I'm not 205 pounds. I wouldn't say that's too small. But just being a running back, we have to be more technical.”

“We can't just throw our bodies into guys because those backers are about 240 pounds, so can't just chip at him, and then he's gonna be all right. So, we had to make sure we get hands on him inside and run him out the run him out of (Dante’s) way.”

Entering Week 1 With a Year Under His Belt:

“It's really just trusting my preparation. Like you said, I just had nerves freshman year. I didn't know really what to expect. I knew I was going to get in, but for a certain amount of plays coming into this year, I know my role has changed.”

“Seeing myself as more like a leader by example, and there's young guys in our room that's learning for me. So just making sure I know every call, just knowing every play, and just executing at a high level. I really don't have too many nerves coming into this year.”

“Just really off the simple fact of my preparation and just how I carry myself to just stay grounded and keep my head forward and focus on the work, the rest will take care of itself. So, just the whole offseason, just my whole preparation plan was great, and it's leading me up to the point where I feel very confident going out there to play for my team at a high level.”

How the Offensive Line Rotation Impacts Running Backs:

“Nah, it's really see that's the thing about us here. We have great coaches that obviously we got a lot of guys moving in and out with the O-line, but coach Terry leads the O-line, the O-line law firm. He leads them very well, and our coach Samp, he makes sure we knows our tracks and knows what gap to hit on certain runs.”

“So that helps us. I mean, it's really not hard because whenever you focus on your preparation and or if you focus on the process, and the results will take care of itself. So just making sure I know my tracks and know where the run's supposed to hit, and if it doesn't, then I know there's something wrong with the O-line.”

“But that's really our coaches and how they take care of us and make sure we know what we're doing when we go out there, and they have done that to a high level.”

What Advice He’d Give His Freshman Self:

“I would definitely say just relax, trust your ability, and trust your preparation. Last year, I didn't know a lot of the things, but I tended to get in my head a lot. Being a young guy, just wanting to play, just want to be there for the team, and I would psych myself out sometimes, and it would be it wouldn't even be as big as I thought it was, but that's some of the things I have told the young guys, especially in my room.”

“See a guy in there that's similar to me when I first came in. I would just tell him just to stay grounded, just stay here, meaning keep your mental positive. Just stay where your feet are.”

“Don't get too emotional because when you get emotional, then you're missing the mental aspects of the game. So just stand grounded and making sure you just have fun and play fast. We'll take care of the rest and film.”

The Offensive Identity:

“Well, I know we are going to be very dynamic and explosive, and we're going to be just driven. We have a lot of guys that are hungry. I know the whole offense, we're very hungry.”

“We didn't like how things ended for us. So just coming back this year, the whole offseason, prepping ourselves on being hungry and fighting for one another. I mean, that's really what it's gonna take. Us being one unit and everyone doing their job, their 111.”

What Gives his Optimism About Their Depth:

“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.”

“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.”

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