One of the main themes of the Oregon Ducks 2025 campaign was the excellence from the true freshman class, something that was evident from the first game of the season to the last. More specifically, that sentiment holds true for the class of 2025 running backs, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr.
In the Ducks ' season-opener against Montana State, Davison carried the ball six times and scored three touchdowns, blasting onto the scene as an impact player in his first collegiate appearance and setting the stage for what turned out to be a 15-touchdown true freshman campaign, a mark that tied for 13th in college football.
Meanwhile, Hill produced 48 rushing yards against the Bobcats and had 111 total yards against the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, including an 71-yard rush that led to one of Oregon's three touchdowns drives.
Davison finished with 667 yards while Hill was right behind at 656 yards, each serving in differing roles.
The 6-foot, 236-pound Davison carried the ball 113 times for an average of 5.9 yards per carry, excelling near the goal line and in short-yardage situations. Towards the end of the season, he showed more capabilities between the 20-yard lines, giving belief that he could be the Ducks' bell-cow back in 2026.
He also was a willing lead blocker when he was on the field with Hill, who ran the ball 75 times for 8.7 yards per tote, the second-highest mark among running backs. He was an effective receiver out of the backfield on screen plays as well, catching 16 passes for 137 yards and a key touchdown against Penn State.
All things considered, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the pairing both garnered high grades by PFF College, with Hill ranking first among true freshman running backs with a 90.8 grade while Davison wasn't far behind at 89.1, good for third place.
Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard was the only player ahead of Davison, as he was the feature back for the ACC-champion Blue Devils while rushing for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns. Fellow Big Ten foe Bo Jackson, Ohio State's feature back in 2025, also was on the list coming in at No. 4 with an 87.1 grade.
Despite both Sheppard and Jackson outrushing Davison and Hill, the Ducks' duo out of the backfield did their thing while playing behind sixth-year senior Noah Whittington, who assumed the No. 1 role in the Oregon offense — making the high-level contribution that much more impressive for Davison and Hill.
Head coach Dan Lanning and his staff hit the jackpot with recruiting both players, who will be the leaders in the Oregon backfield for at least the next two seasons.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Duck standouts crowd list of highest-graded true freshman RBs in 2025
