Dan Lanning confirms availability for Oregon Ducks RB Jay Harris

You never want one of the main storylines going into a playoff game to be about injury news, but that has been the case for the Oregon Ducks this year. With the news of true freshman running back Jordon Davison's collarbone injury earlier this week, the question quickly turned to depth for the Ducks at the RB position.

With Makhi Hughes, Jayden Limar, and Jay Harris all heading to the transfer portal, it appeared that the Ducks would have only two healthy scholarship running backs — Noah Whittington and Dierre Hill — available for Friday's Peach Bowl rematch against the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.

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However, Jay Harris was seen at practice in Eugene on Monday, which called into question whether or not he could play in this game, despite being in the portal — something that has never happened at Oregon under Lanning's tenure.

On Thursday, Lanning confirmed as much at his joint press conference with Indiana coach Curt Cignetti. When asked if Harris would be available to play, Lanning simply said, "Yes."

Harris carried the ball just 26 times for 116 yards and a touchdown in 2025, seeing little time because of the emergence of Hill and Davison.

The 6-foot-2, 224-pounder began his career at Division-II Northwest Missouri State, in which he racked up 1,381 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in 20 games, being named an AP Division-II All-American during his sophomore season in 2023. He then entered his name into the portal, eventually landing at Oregon.

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Now officially in the portal for a second time, the current redshirt junior will have one season of eligibility remaining — but full planning on where that year will be spent appears to be on the back burner, at least until the conclusion of the CFP semis.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks RB Jay Harris available for Peach Bowl, per Dan Lanning