Dan Lanning explains why Oregon went after Makhi Hughes

The Oregon Ducks are coming off what was one of the best regular seasons any team has had in recent memory, but also an early exit from the College Football Playoff. Looking to build on that and maintain their running attack, head coach Dan Lanning dipped into the Transfer Portal and landed Makhi Hughes from Tulane.

Lanning recently appeared on Always College Football. There, he explained just what makes Hughes special and why the Ducks targeted him in particular.

“Ultimately, the goal for us is, again, to make sure we have enough guys that can play a winning level of football,” Dan Lanning said. “And there’s a kind of number that we really want in that running back room, and felt like we had an opportunity to get a good player in Makhi.”

Makhi Hughes began his career as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022 and initially went to Tulane. There, he quickly became a star running back in the Group of Five. In two seasons, he’s appeared in 28 games for the Green Wave. He has 2,779 career rushing yards on 5.3 yards per attempt with 22 rushing touchdowns. He also has 30 career receptions for 243 yards and two touchdowns.

Last season, the Oregon Ducks rushed for 157.93 yards per game. That was 72nd in the country in rushing offense. That unit was led by Jordan James, who is now in the NFL. So, Makhi Hughes will likely be asked to fill in for him in large part, but that doesn’t mean that he’s alone in the running back room.

“Then have some really talented players in that room that I’m really excited about. There’s some young ones in Jordon [Davison] and Dierre [Hill]. Then, some guys that have been here. You know, Noah [Whittington] has been a proven back for us in our league. Da’Juan Riggs had a really good season his freshman year. Jay Harris, you know, Jayden Limar, there’s several guys in that room that I think can make an impact, but we’re ultimately looking for guys that fit us,” Lanning said.

“The one piece about Makhi is he’s the one that’s always falling forward. When there’s yards to be had, he’s going to make sure he’s falling forward.”

Dan Lanning discusses the difficulty of replacing Dillon Gabriel at quarterback

Running back isn’t the only position in the Oregon backfield that will have a new look. Dan Lanning also needs to find a way to replace Dillon Gabriel at quarterback.

“I think it’s always about picking the right person. It’s always about picking the right people. You want competitive guys with competitive spirit. Guys that are great players. Guys that are committed to trying to be the best version of themselves,” Lanning said.

“A lot of people mess up an evaluation. For us, we try to start with people. What kind of people are you bringing aboard? That will always be our process. Guys that want to get better. Growth mindset that have the talent that can play at this level.”

Nothing is official at quarterback yet. However, former five-star recruit Dante Moore appears to be heavily in the battle to win that position.