Ra'Shaad Samples Doesn't Hold Back on Oregon Ducks Running Back Additions

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks running back room saw a pair of true freshmen cement themselves as top-three players in the program’s backfield in 2025. Running backs Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison are set to return to Oregon in 2026, along with added talent joining from the transfer portal and out of high school.

Oregon assistant coach and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples spoke about the state of the team’s running back room with the new additions after a recent spring practice.

What Ra'Shaad Samples Said

oregon ducks ra'shaad samples running backs eugene dan lanning jordon davison dierre hill tradarian ball autzen stadium — Oregon running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples works with the team during the Ducks’ fall camp Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

On the Newcomers to the Backfield:

“Simeon (Price) is a seasoned vet. Man, I tell him all the time, he's been playing college football longer than I've been coaching him. We got a little joke on that. So, he's a seasoned vet man. He's a grown man. He goes about his business. He plays the game hard. He's in the field room every single day.”

“He's probably up there already watching practice. He's stretching. He's encouraging the guys to do, yoga and drink beet juice. He's a vet. He brings some consistency to the room, and he has some ability also. (Tradarian) Ball is a versatile guy. He's learning and getting up to speed, but like when he looked, when he does things and he does things the right way, you can see. You can see the talent there.”

“Just like Dierre, he has to continue to grow and understand the conceptualism of the game. And I think Brandon (Smith) has exceeded expectations for a guy who's been here. I don't know if he's been here a week yet, but he made some plays today where you can just see that kid has a chance to be special if he continues to improve. I don't even want to say improve the way he's improved, he's been here a week. So, if he can just continue to pick things up and play the game competitively, there's a lot of talent there.”

Replacing Running Back Noah Whittington’s Veteran Leadership:

“An honest truth is, whenever you lose a guy like Noah Whittington, you can't replace that. First of all, it's being honest about that guy who's been in this program forever, who's a grown man who understands the on and off the field expectations, understands the film, and Noah was the first one to build in every day.”

“So just meeting those guys, where they're at first, and bringing them up. Also, we brought a veteran guy in the room with Simeon Price, and he's been amazing for the room already. He's kind of filled a little bit of that void. But also, the young guys have grown up. I mean, Dierre has grown up. He speaks more. He talks more. Jordon has grown up.”

“Like those guys didn't say a word last year. They just were happy to play football. Now those guys are talking, and you add Simeon, so that you do it by committee. There's a group, more of a leadership group than there was a leadership guy last year.”

Running Backs Jordon Davison And Dierre Hill Jr. Taking the Next Step This Offseason:

“Growth. They did that last year and really didn't know what they were doing. They're going through the maturation process. They have to understand who they are as players, understand their strengths and weaknesses.”

“They were operating off of pure talent last year. They've gotten the film more in the film room. They understand the game conceptually. What we're trying to accomplish the moving parts of the offense, different spots. So, just growth. They should be key parts of not just the backfield, but our offense.”

The Chance for Jordon Davison And Dierre Hill Jr. to Be the Next Great Oregon Running Back Duo:

“It's really up to them. But I mean, those guys are special. Like I said, those guys are special. They complement each other. They work hard. Dierre’s grown so much. He's the one that has really grown up in this offseason. Jordon was already really mature.”

“And Dierre was just a young guy. He showed up, literally, this week last year. So, Jordon had already been here, and so the growth he's made has been really impressive. Those guys can be one of the best duos here if they work hard and continue to attack the grind and don't get complacent. And I don't think those guys aren't gonna be that way.”

What He’s Seen From Dierre Hill Jr. This Offseason:

“Specifically, just understanding defensive structure. Understanding rotation, understanding where his scan at, understanding what we're trying to accomplish in protection, understanding fronts and defenses. And I want to say, man, I want to talk about that guy like he's made an outstanding jump in pass pro and understanding defenses.”

“I mean, he's even surprised me. I’m like, sometimes, did do you know that? Did you understand what the defense was doing there? He was like, ‘Pre-snap, I saw the shell. I saw rotation. I saw what they were trying to disguise.’ And, man, he's grown already in that area. He's gonna have to continue to get gang strength as a young guy and work on his pass pro, but just the understanding of the game already, he's taken a huge leap.”

Running Back Jordon Davison’s Goals for His Sophomore Season:

“I think Jordon, his ceiling is really high. As he continues to get his body together, obviously, he's a big guy by nature. Even when he carries weight so easily, he's so physical. I think later in the season, what sticks out to me, you watch that Minnesota game, and I know the guys on our team now we love them, but that second level, when he's able to make guys miss at the second level, if he's able to do that right he's already physically imposing.”

“So, you don't want to tackle that guy. I think we all know. Like, you watch the tape, nobody wants to tackle that guy. But if he can make guys miss in the second level, if he can make guys miss on the perimeter, he can become a real threat on the perimeter. I think it's gonna be scary.”

And vice versa with Dierre. Like Dierre stops, that's why they complement each other so well. Dierre can do some things on the perimeter that nobody can do, and so, in between the tackles, he can continue to take his level play to the next level. Those guys have a chance to be like some of the best backs in the country.”

If He Expects to Identify a No. 1 Running Back:

“Well, hopefully. Usually, if you recruit the right room, you want to recruit competition. I hope these guys don't get too far away from each other in the spring. Right now, they've all been competing at a pretty high level, and as long as they keep competing at a pretty high level, they'll push each other.”

“So, I'm hoping to find consistency this spring, more than I am find a starter or 1A or 1B. I want to find consistency. I want to find guys that understand the offense. I want to find guys that compete at a high level, that understand the standard that we're gonna play with and show that they can do that consistently at a championship level.”

“The more guys that you got that can do that, that's how you end up with a room like last year, where you got a bunch of guys with a bunch of yards, and you're able to lead the nation in a bunch of different rushing stats.”

The Role Competition Plays in Jordon Davison And Dierre Hill Jr.’s Success:

“That's the best part about them right now, is they're competing. They really compete with each other. And they're really good friends. They love each other. So that's where I step in. And you got to start the pot a little bit. You got to not nudge them against each other. Like, ‘Ooh, Jordon, Dierre’s making a lot of plays. I haven't seen you make any.’”

“You got to tell Dierre the same thing. ‘Oh Dierre. Look how Jordon blocked that guy. I don't know if you can do that.’ And so, you got to stir the pot a little bit with those guys. Like they understand what it's about, they understand what I'm doing. They just kind of laugh at me when I do it now, but they compete, and as long as they keep competing, the better chance they have to be really, really good here.”

How Da’Juan “Dink” Riggs Has Attacked Return From Injury:

“For Dink, the mental process has been really important, like his growth mentally. And I think he's taken a step growing mentally. Obviously, he had an injury. He had a couple injuries since he's been here. Just talking to that guy, how can you help yourself when you're not on the field, and guys are physically able to get better, you got to be in the backfield room.”

“You have to communicate the offense. You have to be able to teach it and regurgitate the same thing as I'm saying. And so, he's gained weight, he's gotten bigger, he's gotten stronger in the weight room, so that's just going to help him physically. He understands the offense. He's a really smart kid. Once he's able to go full and compete, and he's already out there, and once he's just back to his normal self, he's getting back to it. He's going to insert himself in that competition.”

How He Handled Injuries and the Transfer Portal During the College Football Playoff Semifinals:

“That was a week like no other. We had two guys that didn't play running back the week before come over. And we were teaching the offense, and it was a crazy week, man. But it's exciting. It's part of the job, man.”

“It's why they call us coach. How fast can you move guys along? How fast can you get guys up to speed? But you talk about a hectic week with a bunch of early mornings and a bunch of late nights. I don't think I slept that week. I think that was the that's probably been one of my most challenging weeks as a coach, for sure.”

What He Learned From the Peach Bowl:

“I learned a lot of things. Actually, I learned you have to be able to turn over every stone. You have to be able to look at every rock. You have to be able to try different things. You have to be able to try the things you haven't tried before. There was a lot of new things I had to do that I hadn't done before because I was coaching guys who played the position came ready. I had a bunch of vets last year, too. I was blessed.”

“Right now, you got a bunch of guys who haven't played running back in a long time. And so that's one thing I learned. I learned also to prepare for the future. Like man, you never know what's going to happen. And sometimes when you have abundance and abundance of riches like we had in the back in the running back room last year.”

“You never think, what if nobody's there? All of a sudden, nobody's there. And like, Jay Harris, and what a guy, showed up. He practiced every day. He worked his butt off, like a guy that I'm rooting for. But you look up, and he's the only healthy guy in the room, and Dierre is like, half healthy and trying to push through it. As a young guy who's 18 years old, and this is his first season, you learn to prepare for the future.”

“You learn to prepare every single guy, every single guy that gets the ball in their hands, receivers, running backs, tight ends, DBs, whoever. You learn to culture everybody hard. And you learn to prepare for the future.”

Working With Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:

“Drew's awesome. And the cool thing about Drew is I've been on him since I was 19 years old. He was my position coach, my first job, the first guy I worked for. I lived in his house, helped him meet his wife. So, you talk about a guy like that, there's familiarity there.”

“I'm really comfortable, and I know how bright he is. I know how smart he is. I've been around him for a long time. I know how he communicates, and I'm excited for him. I'm so excited for the opportunity he has to call the offense, and I think he's just going to call the offense to our strengths.”

“I think he's going to be really simple, but be able to do things and make them look complex, and be able to give guys in one-on-one opportunities and get guys in space. And Will (Stein) was able to do that. He did an amazing job at that last year. I think Drew can do those same things.”

“And like I said, it's been it's cool because you watch this guy, you're with this guy, and you watch him grow, and you watch him grow as a coach, and now you're able to reflect and kind of go back and watch some of the things he did to get in this position, and as a younger coach. And as a guy that I've been around, it's cool to be able to see that process with him. And again, I'm excited for his ability to have success with this offense.”

On Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr.’s Nicknames:

“No, I don't think they've earned nicknames. I know a lot of Duck fans call them nicknames. Sonic and Knuckles, thunder and lightning. I think it's good when you hold things like that a little higher than everybody else does. I don't call them any nicknames. I call them Jordon and Dierre. Sometimes I call them goofy. I got a bunch of nicknames that I probably shouldn't say, but they're not good.”

“So, I challenge them to earn nicknames like that. And you got to dominate competition consistently. Those guys haven't arrived yet, but they're working towards it. They understand that. And they take the challenge every single day. They don't act like guys that think they arrived. They're working every single day. They're attacking the grind.”

How Growing Up With a Father Who’s a Coach Impacted Him:

“It's funny, I was riding around last night with Jordon. I was telling him, man, I really care about you guys so much, but I can't let the standard drop. And he's asking, how do I balance caring about those guys and holding those guys to a high standard.”

“And I just told him, it's kind of a tribute to my dad and how I grew up. I knew there was love in that household. I knew he loved me. I knew he cared about me, but I mean, how he held me to a standard, how he held me accountable, if you were a stranger watching it, you might not think that guy liked me.”

“And I tell him all the time, I got to tell Jordon. I got to tell Dierre. Because sometimes those guys, and they're like, ‘Coach, do you not like me?’ Like, no, I love you guys, but I got to hold you to the highest standard. And that's how you show love. I think that's the best way to show that you love somebody is hold them to the standard that they want to be held to.”

“And so I asked them all the time, what standard do you want to be held to? Those two guys tell me, want to be some of the greatest running backs to ever come through here. I said, ‘Well, if I love you and I hold you to the standard of that, every single day and every single thing you do.’ And that's how I was raised. My dad would ask me, ‘What are your goals? I'm going to hold you to that standard. And it doesn't always look like you think it looks.’”

“That's how I'm able to handle those guys, and that comes from the background I was raised in, and it's just natural, like it's natural for me. I don't go home and not sleep at night because I think Jordon or Dierre or Dink or Simeon is mad at me. I don't care. I'm coming back, and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow, and they know that.”

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