Since Dan Lanning showed up in Eugene, he's repeated one mantra time and time again: "If you're good enough, you're old enough."
In 2026, the Oregon Ducks found that they had several guys who were "old enough" to contribute meaningful snaps to the team, with a long list of true freshmen having early impacts in their careers. Now, as those freshmen become sophomores and look to grow and improve, it falls on them and the coaches to expand their roles.
One of the players whose role is expanding this year is running back Dierre Hill. As a freshman, Hill was relatively unknown early on, but by midseason, offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer knew there was no other way around the fact that he had to be getting more touches.
"Dierre kind of came on midway through the season, and you see this burst down the field and it's like, 'Hey, we've got to do something with this guy,'" Mehringer said on Friday.
After putting up 793 total yards and six touchdowns, Hill is now looking to become more of a weapon as a sophomore. That means adding versatility to his game and expanding what it means to be a playmaker, not confined to the backfield. It's not just the talent Hill has that allows him to take on a bigger load, but the mental acuity, Lanning says.
#hill #enough #mehringer #freshmen
In 2026, the Oregon Ducks found that they had several guys who were "old enough" to contribute meaningful snaps to the team, with a long list of true freshmen having early impacts in their careers. Now, as those freshmen become sophomores and look to grow and improve, it falls on them and the coaches to expand their roles.
One of the players whose role is expanding this year is running back Dierre Hill. As a freshman, Hill was relatively unknown early on, but by midseason, offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer knew there was no other way around the fact that he had to be getting more touches.
"Dierre kind of came on midway through the season, and you see this burst down the field and it's like, 'Hey, we've got to do something with this guy,'" Mehringer said on Friday.
After putting up 793 total yards and six touchdowns, Hill is now looking to become more of a weapon as a sophomore. That means adding versatility to his game and expanding what it means to be a playmaker, not confined to the backfield. It's not just the talent Hill has that allows him to take on a bigger load, but the mental acuity, Lanning says.
#hill #enough #mehringer #freshmen
28 days ago
