The Ducks have been relishing the delicious White Out victory at Oregon, but one running back room update has struck the program harder than a blitz. Dan Lanning’s prized running back, Makhi Hughes, has requested to redshirt his junior year. The 5’11, 195-pound RB did not travel with the roster to Happy Valley, playing just four games into the season. As per the NCAA rules, a player who has played four or fewer games can redshirt. So, was Lanning ready to let Hughes move to the sidelines for the rest of the year?

Over the last two seasons at Tulane, he made his mark. After chipping in 2,779 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, he entered Eugene, seeking to make some noise in the Big 10. However, in the 2025 season, Hughes saw limited playing time on the field. He chipped in 17 carries for 70 yards over four games, and this fell short of expectations from a 2025 Preseason Second-Team All-American player (at Tulane). Ahead of the White Out game, he was placed No. 5th on the depth chart, a move that caught the fans off guard.

Lanning’s response to Hughes’ redshirting request? Bleeding into week 6, the head coach has approved his request. The Oregonian’s reporter, James Crepea, gave the latest update on X. “Dan Lanning: RB Makhi Hughes has asked to redshirt and Oregon is doing that.” Back in 2022, he sustained an injury, but a medical hardship waiver kept his redshirt privilege intact.

In the 2025 season, he had yet to score a touchdown. Ahead of hitting the road to Penn State, Ducks’ running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples said, “Makhi’s continuing to grow and learn and find his way in this room. Makhi’s attitude day in and day out, so mature.” Hughes’ decision to redshirt has certainly raised eyebrows. ESPN’s Greg McElroy had dubbed him the nation’s second-best running back, with Pro Football Focus grading him as a top-five pick.

Ex-NFL GM Ran Carthon speculated him to be a No. 3 NFL prospect. “He’s a no-nonsense runner,” he had said on an NFL on CBS episode. “He does a really good job of hugging blocks and staying tight to blocks. He just has a good feel, good instincts, good vision.” He continued. “And the most impressive thing about this guy is 523 carries at two lanes with zero fumbles.” Not just that, even the coaching roster was positive on Makhi’s impact on the roster. “We saw, obviously, lots of production,” offensive coordinator Will Stein had said.

But with the Ducks’ stacked RB room, he fought for more playtime.

Makhi Hughes and the stacked RB room

After transferring from the Green Wave nation, he was gearing up to display that run game in the Big 10. Eugene was excited as well, for their leading rusher, Jordan James, departed to the NFL, picked by the San Francisco 49ers as the 147th pick in the fifth round. And mind you, for Makhi Hughes, the race to earn the RB gig was not a cake walk.

During the spring drills, he was quick to adapt to Danning’s playbook. “Makhi (has) done really well. I’d say this fall, compared to where it was in spring, just learning the system,” Stein had said. But was the RB able to show that grit on the field? Zooming down to the 2025 season, that hype and onturf prowess were put to the test.

Presently, four running backs have registered more play time than the Tulane transfer. Dierre Hill Jr, Jayden Lamar, Noah Whittington, and Jordan Davison are leading the scorebox, with Hill topping the stats with 232 yards on 39 carries, as opposed to Hughes’ 17 carries for 70 yards. And Hughes was lost in the depth chart.

Coming up next, the Ducks will face off against Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers.