Mar'Keise Irving Further Bolsters Oregon Running Back Depth Ahead of 2022 Season

Byron Cardwell and Sean Dollars headline a group full of new faces.

Billy Spotz | May 3, 2022

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Oregon Ducks

With CJ Verdell headed to the NFL, Travis Dye moving to in-conference rival USC, and Trey Benson transferring to Florida State, the running back depth in Eugene was a legitimate concern, at least for a stretch.

As spring football came and went, a pair of transfers have joined the team, new names have emerged, and the state of the room has been clarified, with a crop of exciting talent looking to become the next great Ducks running back.

The returnees, Byron Cardwell and Sean Dollars, headline the room, and they're a pair fans have been increasingly excited for over the past few seasons. Cardwell, a sophomore from San Diego and a former consensus 4-star recruit, emerged last season as a more than capable complement to Dye, stepping in for an injured Verdell and racking up 417 yards on 61 carries, along with three touchdowns.

Oregon RB Byron Cardwell

Byron Cardwell against the Washington Huskies

Oregon RB Sean Dollars

Bo Nix Sean Dollars Spring Game Cropped — Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Sean Dollars takes a carry from Bo Nix in Oregon's spring game

Despite missing the spring game last weekend in a move Dan Lanning called "precautionary," he’s still expected to be the starter in a room bristling with talent.

Dollars is a name Oregon fans are very familiar with by now. The sophomore has only seen a handful of opportunities to showcase his talents, as a knee injury last spring sidelined him for all of 2021. He flirted with the transfer portal, but quickly withdrew his name, signifying the faith he has in the new coaching staff.

That faith goes both ways, as Kenny Dillingham and Dan Lanning believe he's capable of adding a special dynamic to an Oregon offense that's poised to be more explosive than years prior.

The next name that’s been grabbing attention from both media and fans is Noah Whittington.

Oregon RB Noah Whittington and LB Noah Sewell

Noah Whittington Noah Sewell Spring — Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Whittington goes through a drill during spring football

Whittington, who transferred from Western Kentucky in mid-March, has already made a solid first impression. Coming off a respectable spring game performance where he put up 97 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, Whittington joined his old running backs coach Carlos Locklyn in Eugene, and already looks to be a dependable contributor for the Ducks as eyes shift to the 2022 season.

The recent news of Minnesota running back Mar’Keise Irving transferring to Oregon further bolsters this exciting room teeming with potential. The former 4-star recruit out of Country Club Hills, Illinois finished second on the Golden Gophers in rushing yards, tallying 699 yards on 133 carries, and four touchdowns.

Mar'Keise Iriving

Mar'Keise Irving rushes vs. West Virginia

Despite Minnesota not being a team that relied on their passing game for success, Irving caught eight passes out of the backfield for 73 yards during his first season with the Golden Gophers.

On top of the four listed here, it’s hard to not include Jordan James, the 2022 running back signee out of Tennesse that flipped his commitment from the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs to the Ducks.

Amassing nearly 3,500 yards and 50 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons, the 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back provides some great size. James, along with Cardwell, are the only backs on the roster who are over 190 pounds currently. However, it's worth noting updated heights and weights likely won't be released until fall camp.

Heading into the spring, the outlook for this room looked a bit uncertain, and Seven McGee changing positions from running back to receiver only made the room thinner. With additional transfers coming in, and Whittington already carving out a role for himself, the once questionable running back depth chart now feels like one that is not only deep enough to contend with anyone, but varied enough in skill set and ability to give Dillingham a wide variety of talents to work with.

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Published May 3, 2022

BILLY SPOTZ

Billy is a senior journalism student at the University of Oregon from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He covers recruiting and both men's and women's basketball teams for Ducks Digest. He's also a member of Oregon's DuckTV Sports and Esports divisions, where he has been a reporter, podcast host, and play-by-play caster.