Oregon Freshman Brandon Finney Jr. Makes Statement That Shows He’s Built Different

A key storyline heading into the No. 8 Oregon Ducks’ 2025 season questioned how the program’s youth would perform. It didn’t take long for fans to find the answer: the Oregon 2025 recruiting class is legit.

For the first time in the Dan Lanning coaching era, a true freshman was made available to speak to the media. A second player was added to that tally only a week later, showing the trust the program has in its young players, both on and off the field.

Cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. revealed his bold aspirations in his first media appearance and backed up Lanning’s previous statements about the team’s freshmen mentality.

The Ducks’ Youth Ready To Contribute

oregon ducks dan lanning recruiting brandon finney jordon davison dakorien moore dierre hill cornerback freshmen aaron flower — Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. (4) reacts after intercepting a pass thrown by Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) (ntot pictured) and returning it for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Lanning said after Finney’s week 1 performance that the team looks for ambitious players who are “infatuated with being great.” Finney’s football aspirations made it clear that he fits that mold.

"I'm not satisfied with what I've done. I'm not trying to be the best freshman,” Finney said. “I'm trying to be the best corner in America."

Finney recorded his first career pick-six against a top-10 Indiana Hoosiers squad. While the Ducks went on to lose that game, the play was one of the highlights for an otherwise rough showing.

“It was an exciting play, but for me it’s just like satisfaction. I knew a play like that was going to come at some point,” Finney said. “But if a play like that happens in one game, that’s satisfactory. When it happens in multiple games, it’s greatness. That’s what I’m trying to be – great.”

Most Oregon players struggled in the Indiana loss. Outside of Finney, one of the few other players to give a decent performance was freshman running back Jordon Davison. Davison led the team with eight carries and 59 rushing yards against the Hoosiers. He also leads the team in rushing touchdowns this season with seven.

And Davison isn’t the only freshman on the roster to lead his position in a notable stat. Wide receiver Dakorien Moore has the most receptions and receiving yards for Oregon this season, while running back Dierre Hill Jr. has the most rushing yards.

“It’s not really a pride thing, it’s what’s expected. You come here knowing that it’s a young team, and you expect to play,” Finney said. “It’s not really a pride thing, it’s just that we came here to do a job. We’re trying to push to win a national championship. We don’t care how young we are, we know that our impact has to be high level.”

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Freshmen Leading By Example

Whether it’s putting on a show against top-ranked opponents or finding their voice in the locker room, the Oregon freshmen are impacting the program early.

Ducks safety Aaron Flowers said early in the season that Finney is one of the first players on the field and one of the last players out. Lanning backed that up in his praise of Finney’s work ethic during his week 8 media availability.

“His preparation is second to none,” Lanning said. “He works really hard, watches a lot of film, works hard in the practice field, strains in practice, and it shows up in the game.”

Lanning said that while freshmen like Finney and Moore are still finding their voice within the locker room, their play speaks for itself.