Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. burst onto the scene last fall when the then-freshmen running back duo injected a thrilling, big-play, nose-for-the-end zone element to an already-potent Oregon offense.

They combined to rush for 1,323 yards – split almost evenly – and 20 rushing touchdowns, with Davison accounting for a team-leading 15 of those scores.

So, it was revealing to hear running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples claim all that production came from a pair of players who “really didn’t know what they were doing” as they navigated their first season on a College Football Playoff championship contender.

That won’t be the case this coming season when Davison and Hill are expected to be the two main components of the Ducks’ rushing attack.

“They’re going through the maturation process. They’re growing,” Samples said April 2 after Oregon’s fourth practice of the spring. “They have to understand who they are as players, understand their strengths and weaknesses.

“They were operating off pure talent last year. They’ve gotten in the film room more, they understand the game conceptually, what we’re trying to accomplish. … They should be key parts of not just the backfield, but the offense.”

Davison’s role as a freshman evolved from being a short-yardage, goal-line bulldozer in the first half of the season when the 6-foot, 236-pounder started exhibiting an ability to break off long runs. He finished with 667 yards on 113 carries in 14 games. He missed the CFP semifinal Peach Bowl loss to Indiana with a broken clavicle.

“The ceiling is really high,” Samples said. “Obviously he’s a big guy by nature. He carries weight so easily, he’s so physical.”

Hill (5-11, 205) showed electric play-making ability throughout the season. He finished with 656 yards rushing on 75 carries and also caught 16 passes for 137 yards and a score. He led the Big Ten Conference and ranked second nationally with an average of 8.75 yards per carry, was tied for sixth in the Big Ten with eight rushes of 20-plus yards, tied for fourth in the Big Ten with three rushes of 50-plus yards and tied for the conference lead with two runs of 60-plus yards.

“He’s made an outstanding jump in pass (protection), understanding defense,” Samples said. “I mean, he’s even surprised me. … He’s taken a huge leap.”

Samples said one of the goals for Davison this offseason is improving his ability to elude tacklers once he breaks through the line of scrimmage.

“He’s already physically imposing so you don’t want to tackle that guy,” Samples said. “But if he can make guys miss at the second level, if he can make guys miss on the perimeter, it’s gonna be scary.”

It’s the opposite offseason approach for Hill.

“Dierre can do some things on the perimeter like nobody can,” Samples said. “In between the tackles, if he can continue to take his play to the next level, those guys have a chance to be like some of the best backs in the country.”

Oregon’s running back room had significant turnover after the Ducks ended the 2025 regular season.

Starter Noah Whittington graduated, and Jay Harris (Kansas State), Jayden Limar (Washington) and Makhi Hughes (Houston) transferred.

Besides sophomores Davison and Hill, the Ducks roster includes third-year back Da’Jaun Riggs, who played in five games last fall before an undisclosed injury ended his season; a pair of four-star freshmen in Tradarian Ball and Brandon Smith; and Colorado transfer Simeon Price, a six-year veteran who has played in 38 career games – two more then the rest of the group combined.

“He’s a seasoned vet,” Samples said of Price. “He’s a grown man. He goes about his business; he plays the game hard. He’s in the film room every single day. He’s probably up there already watching practice. He’s stretching, he’s encouraging guys to do yoga and drink beet juice. He brings some consistency to the room and he has some ability also.”

The Oregon Ducks suffered a tough injury blow earlier this week.

According to multiple reports, and confirmed by Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, freshman defensive lineman Tony Cumberland was involved in a car accident this past week and will now miss the remainder of the spring football season, and potentially longer, due to injuries.

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Cumberland was the longest committed member of Oregon’s 2026 class, starring at the local Willamette High School. He was rated as the No. 60 overall player and No. 5 DL in the nation.

This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.

Emma Keen wants people to know she’s not really a sad person, at least not completely.

Keen, a high school junior at Oregon School for the Deaf in Salem, was recently crowned the state’s 2026 Poetry Out Loud champion.

She chose to recite “Low-Tide,” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, “From One Who Stays” by Amy Lowell and “I am Like a Leaf” by Yone Noguchi.

“I picked the poems for one reason, which was that they’re mainly sad, and for some reason it’s just easier for me to perform sad poems,” she said. “Sadness is a part of me and Poetry Out Loud helps me express that in my way and in my deaf culture type of way.”

Keen, 16, received the top score at the competition, held March 7 in Salem, and now will represent Oregon at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, April 27-29, in Washington, D.C.

“I definitely did not expect to be going to nationals,” she said. “I’ve never ever done something like this before, but I’m so glad I am able to.”

One of Keen’s teachers, Gayle Robertson, encouraged her to participate in Poetry Out Loud.

Keen was told she didn’t have to perform in-person for the school-level contest, she said.

“So, I thought why not, I’ll join just for fun,” she said. “I became more invested into poetry because I’m able to perform sad poems. I think it’s an interesting experience for me to practice with.”

During Poetry Out Loud, students recite works in a dynamic competition and performance.

They select poems from an anthology, memorize them and are judged on criteria such as physical presence, voice and articulation and dramatic appropriateness.

Deaf students translate the poems they’ve chosen from English into American Sign Language, which uses hands and facial expressions to communicate. During their performance, the audience receives a written version.

“I would say for me, it’s obviously more visual and I think if the judges can understand what I’m doing or signing about then that’s a good thing for me because it means I’m clear enough,” Keen said.

“For hearing people, they change their tone to match their story but for deaf people we change our face expressions to match our story,” she said. “I like being able to sign and stay silent and just let my hands and face do the work for me, you know?”

During the competition, Keen said, “I genuinely thought I was going to be focused on the audience and who was watching but all of that went away when I went on stage. After saying the title and I started signing, all that mattered to me in the moment was the poem and getting the right message out there and not forgetting my lines, which I almost did a few times, but we don’t need to talk about that.”

Keen is a lifelong Salem resident and has two brothers.

When she’s not practicing poetry, Keen participates in drama club and is the school’s student body president.

“I also take pictures for my yearbook class, and stay after school in the dorms to hang out with my lovely friends,” she said. “I always enjoy it.”

Keen plans to attend college after graduation, and hopes to become a photographer.

“I think that would be a nice job for me because I can be on the sidelines and seeing other people live their best lives and I get to take pictures of it,” she said.

Since 2005, more than 4.5 million high school students across the nation have participated in Poetry Out Loud. The program in Oregon is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission and jurisdictional arts agencies.