Oregon Ducks Lose Running Back Jayden Limar To Big Ten Rivals

Missing the Oregon Ducks' loss in the Peach Bowl to the Indiana Hoosiers, running back Jayden Limar departs the program for the Ducks' rivals, the Washington Huskies.

Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jayden Limar (27) reacts with fans after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

As the No. 5 Oregon Ducks deal with the fallout of their 56-22 Peach Bowl loss to the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers, coach Dan Lanning and crew also navigate the NCAA Transfer Portal period.

On Monday Jayden Limar, one of the three running backs that declared for the portal prior to entering the Peach Bowl found his home with Oregon's Big Ten regional rival: the Washington Huskies. Limar travels to Seattle, Washington with one final year of eligibility.

Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jayden Limar (27) carries the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Limar Returning Home to Washington

Limar joining the Huskies isn't too big of a reach for the Lake Stevens, Washington native. The Huskies were actually the third team to extend Limar an offer for the class of 2023 under coach Jimmy Lake.

The running back did visit the Husky's facilities earlier this week, and after the news of his commitment to Washington released, Limar posted "I'M COMING HOME" on his X account.

IM COMING HOME. ☔️ pic.twitter.com/cr8UdETKGi

— Jayden Limar (@jayden_limar) January 13, 2026

It's also interesting to note that though Limar played in three different Oregon vs. Washington rivalry games, he did not record a stat.

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) hands the ball off to Oregon Ducks running back Jayden Limar (27) during the fourth quarter against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Jayden Limar's History with Oregon

What's interesting about Limar's tenure with Oregon, is that the running back was expected to be a big presence during the 2025 season before missing six games with a foot injury.

“Every year, once his role and his opportunity continue to grow, and I said, just keep working it and it’s going to come,” Dan Lanning said in early September. “And this year has come. He's a player that we know what to expect from him when he steps on the field. He does his job, he does his assignment, he works extremely hard. He expects a lot of his teammates.”

However, Limar ended up falling behind Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison, and Dierre Hill Jr.

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Limar appeared in eight games for the Ducks this season, with a total of 262 yards and three touchdowns off 46 carries. His best game of the season came against Oklahoma State (87 yards and one touchdown off six carries). In fact, Limar scored a touchdown in the first three games of Oregon's campaign. He got four carries over Oregon's two playoff games before bowing out of the Peach Bowl.

Oregon's Need For Running Backs in the Portal

Right now, all three of the running backs that declared for the transfer portal (Makhi Hughes, Limar, and Jay Harris) have all found their new homes. Without those three, Oregon is fairly limited on depth in the running back corps. Class of 2026 recruit Tradarian Ball (247 Sports ranked four star) is the only running back coming in from high school recruiting.

With Ball arriving and Whittington departing the program due to eligibility running out, Oregon's running back room might need a reinforcement from the transfer portal.