Late Update on Oregon Running Back Noah Whittington's Injury Status

The status of Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington is up in the air before the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Peach Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) poses for a photo with head coach Dan Lanning before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington is a game-time decision in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Peach Bowl against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers. Per a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, Whittington is expected to participate in pre-game warm ups.

Changes To Oregon Ducks' Availability Report

On Thursday's availability report, the second-to-last before the game, Whittington was upgraded to questionable. If Whittington is indeed a game-time decision for the game against Indiana, his status will be confirmed by Oregon at 3 p.m. PT before kickoff.

Oregon running back Noah Whittington works out as the Oregon Ducks practice at Barry University ahead of the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, 2025, in Miami, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sources have indicated to ESPN that tailback Noah Whittington, who is questionable on the injury report, will be a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury. The Ducks had just three scholarship tailbacks with him, so they added a two players.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 9, 2026

Even before Whittington's availability was up in the air, depth was already a concern in Oregon's running back room. True freshman running back Jordon Davison has been out since the Texas Tech game, and Ducks running back Jayden Limar is out after entering the transfer portal.

At a joint press conference with Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, Oregon coach Dan Lanning confirmed that Ducks running back Jay Harris is available for the Peach Bowl, even though he has enetered the transfer portal.

To illustrate how dire the situation could get for Oregon, ESPN's Katie George reported that the Ducks had safety Kilohana Haasenritter and linebacker Brayden Platt practicing with the offense during preparation for the Peach Bowl.

Oregon’s Dakorien Moore, left, Gary Bryant Jr. and Jay Harris work out during practice at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 14, 2025 before the first-round CFP game against James Madison. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MORE: Oregon Running Back Noah Whittington Injury Adds Another Test of Adversity

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What Dan Lanning Said About Oregon's Injuries

"Yeah, we've talked about it all year, strength in numbers, and the strength in football is the team," Lanning said. "It's not one up individual. And I truly believe that our coaches and our staff and our players prepared really hard all year to be ready for their opportunities, and sometimes peoples' roles change throughout the year. That's where you have to be selfless. But we have some guys that can play winning football, and that's the key is do you have 11 guys that can go play winning football."

"And if there's a deficiency, can you cover that deficiency up. That's part of the strategy behind football as well. Ultimately we're really excited about the guys that take the field. I've got complete trust in our players. And regardless of what happens in this game, you go play and you play to win the game," the Oregon coach continued.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks during the head coaches’ press conference ahead of the Peach Bowl at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 8, 2026. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the regular season matchup between Oregon and Indiana, the Ducks rushed for 81 yards as a team thanks in part to the six sacks on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Still, Davison, Whittington, and Limar all averaged over five yards per carry.

"But when you are playing a great team like Indiana, regardless what happens, to be one of four teams left in college football is an unbelievable honor that we'll never recognize and we'd certainly never be satisfied with, regardless -- there's only one result that makes us happy at the end of the day, but I promise we'll have 11 guys on the field that are going to want to play winning football and play to the standard necessary for our team," Lanning said.