Ra'Shaad Samples Gives Blunt Assessment of Oregon's Running Back Duo

The Oregon Ducks are amid spring practice, and they are watching the growth of their roster. There are many promising positions for the Ducks at this time, with one of the best position groups being the running back position.

This room has a ton of talent, including two running backs who could be viewed as the next great Oregon duo. Ducks running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples commented on this situation.

Oregon Ducks running back coach Ra'Shaad Samples dierre hill jr. jordon davison brandon smith tradarian ball da'jaun riggins. — Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. warms up as the Oregon Ducks take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“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," Samples said.

Oregon running backs Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison have the chance to be really special in the next season. The offense will need a great rushing attack to get to where they want to be, which is at the top of the mountain. They will need to be great if the Ducks want to contend, because a passing offense can only get teams so far before the rushing attack will be needed to step up. It also becomes a factor in the Big Ten, because each defense they play against will have a weakness, and when the Ducks play conference games, they will need to attack the weaknesses.

Each back brings a unique advantage to this roster, as both were used at a high volume last season.

Davison saw more carries a season ago and finished with far more rushing touchdowns. Davison finished with a promising 15 touchdowns on the season, which led the team. He only finished with one more yard than Hill Jr., as he finished with 657 on the season.

Hill Jr. was mostly used for big gains, as he was a man of big plays last season. He finished the season with 75 carries, which is 38 carries short of Davison, but he had only one fewer yard. He did finish with only five touchdowns, though, which is what separated the two.

These running backs were able to accomplish this with Noah Whittington on the roster, as he was the primary back for Oregon throughout 2025. Both of these backs can smash the accomplishments that Whittington had in the Oregon program. Even with the talent between these two, there will be more talent in the running back room, as the Ducks added multiple players at the position and are returning another running back.

The Ducks added true freshmen Tradarian Ball and Brandon Smith through the class of 2026. Both players are likely to see playing time at some point this season, but if the rest of the room stays healthy, then the Ducks may find themselves in a situation where they can redshirt both of the players.

The third option for the Ducks at the running back position is Da'Jaun Riggs, who has the chance to have a standout season with the Ducks in 2026.

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