When rumors began to circulate over the last couple days that true freshman running back Jordon Davison , one part of the three-headed monster backfield for the Oregon Ducks , had suffered a broken collarbone in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, the math quickly pointed to just two scholarship running backs ( Noah Whittington and Dierre Hill Jr. ) being available for the team's semifinals matchup with the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers .
After all, both Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar announced their intentions of entering the transfer portal, with the former already landing with the Houston Cougars. Da'Jaun Riggs , a reserve running back, has battled an injury for much of the season and has long been present on the "out" list of the Ducks ' injury reports with no sign of a return.
Fellow reserve back Jay Harris was also reported as an entrant into the transfer portal on Jan. 2, with On3's Pete Nakos the first to share the news.
But in an interesting turn of events, Harris is still with the Ducks for the CFP semifinals against the Hoosiers and could be employed with a much bigger role than he's had all season long.
"Jay, I think he's an exceptional back," Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein said during the Ducks' media availability in Atlanta. "He's got great balance. He can run... So I think he's at a spot now to really flourish given the opportunity."
Harris carried the ball just 26 times for 116 yards and a touchdown in 2025, seeing little time because of the emergence of Hill and Davison.
The 6-foot-2, 224-pounder began his career at Division-II Northwest Missouri State, in which he racked up 1,381 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in 20 games, being named an AP Division-II All-American during his sophomore season in 2023. He then entered his name into the portal, eventually landing at Oregon.
Now officially in the portal for a second time, the current redshirt junior will have one season of eligibility remaining — but full planning on where that year will be spent appears to be on the back burner, at least until the conclusion of the CFP semis.
With Whittington and Hill representing the only available running backs for the Ducks, the opportunity has never been as favorable for Harris during his two seasons with the program. And as Stein said, he has a chance to flourish on the biggest of stages.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks RB Jay Harris still with team despite entering portal
