Freshman running back Byron Cardwell turning heads at Oregon camp

Oregon’s four-star freshman running back Byron Cardwell has impressed many of his coaches and teammates in fall camp.

The 6-foot, 203-pound tailback has instantly made a splash in fall practice and even got the attention of Ducks head coach, Mario Cristobal.

What did he have to say about him?

“Byron did a really good job,” Cristobal said. “He better grow up fast. You have a personal foul penalty after a run during a four minute drill. We’re not going to tolerate that here. But he did do a really good job with all the other stuff and has had a really good camp. So [there is a] really bright future for him.”

The freshman recently scored two rushing touchdowns in Oregon’s recent scrimmage, according to the Oregonian.

Byron Cardwell’s high school career

Cardwell suited up for Morse in San Diego, California. In the 2021 class, Morse was rated as the 12th best running back in America and was a four-star composite tailback.

On tape, he displays a nice combination of speed, acceleration, and tremendous balance. His acceleration allows him to turn on the burners and shoot his way through very small windows in the defense.

His combination of balance and agility allow him to change direction on defenders in the blink of an eye, leaving many of them on the ground and searching for answers.

The running back plays much faster than his 4.69 40-yard dash time in his high school tape. The San Diego native has a very complete skillset and a soft set of hands when it comes to catching the football out of the backfield.

Cardwell ran a 22.5 second 200-meter dash time on the track as a junior.

He’s going to be an exciting prospect to watch blossom for the Ducks in the coming years. Cardwell chose the Ducks over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, California and many others. He boasted scholarships from 23 schools across the country.

Walk-ons Impress in Spring

While CJ Verdell and Travis Dye are expected to carry the load for the Oregon running game this fall, walk-ons Cross Patton and Aaron Smith impressed Duck coaches in spring practices.

“Cross Patton has probably had the best camp of all these guys just because we’ve asked him to take a lot of reps,” Oregon running backs coach Jim Mastro said. “He’s probably the toughest guy on our team. He’s a good player, tough kid, smart kid, and not afraid to throw his body in there.”

Aaron Smith impressed Mastro as well. “We’ve got Aaron Smith, who was a walk-on, who’s actually a pleasant surprise for us so far in camp,” the running backs coach said.

The Oregon Ducks kick off their 2021 season on Saturday, Sept. 4 against the Fresno State Bulldogs.