A look back at the running back position over the 15 Oregon football spring practices, which concluded with the Spring Game on April 2oth.

Perceived depth chart heading into spring

1. CJ Verdell SOPH.

2. Travis Dye SOPH.

3. Cyrus Habibi-Likio SOPH.

4. Darrian Felix SOPH.

The Spring Headliner

I would've likely gone with Felix had he played in the spring game and performed as we'd seen in the Portland scrimmage and open practice periods. But an illness held him out. Instead, I'll go with Habibi-Likio. A year ago, Habibi-Likio earned the moniker "Cyrus TD-Likio" for his goal line prowess. He held the team lead in touchdown runs until the regular season finale in Corvallis and finished second behind Verdell with seven for the season. This spring has been about exhibiting his versatility. At 6-foot-1 216, Habibi-Likio clearly has the size between the tackles, but he showed his all-around game in two open spring scrimmages. He appeared a capable pass receiver as well as a runner when the ball is between the 20s. It remains to be seen if his role this fall will be any different, but you can't say he didn't show more this spring.

The Depth

I'm not sure how you call into question this group's depth. The Ducks had four scholarship backs in spring practice and will add two more this fall. We saw improved performance from both Habibi-Likio and Felix. Each look capable of making an impact this fall. Once Jayvaun Wilson and Sean Dollars arrive this summer, they'll be up to six players and none will be older than a sophomore. How all of it plays out this fall remains a mystery, but it would seem silly to question this group's ability to handle the load in 2019.

The Biggest Question

Who's the guy? This is a question that I'm not sure we got a clear answer to last fall either. Sure, Verdell ran for 1,000 yards in 2018, but, it's not like he toted the rock 80-percent of the time. It remained a pretty even split between Verdell and Dye, with the stocky back handling 46-percent of the running back carries, while Dye carried 33-percent of them. This spring didn't really teach us much else. Verdell's workload was at times lessened in practice, Mario Cristobal said, to account for the 202 carries he had during the season. So, it never really felt like he or Dye distanced themselves from the pack. No one is saying they aren't the top two backs on the roster as we enter summer, but it's also not clear if there is a hierarchy, and if there is one, how exactly it looks. And given the depth we just discussed, it also wouldn't be shocking if there isn't that guy this season and they rotate more frequently than they traditionally have.

Post-spring the depth chart

1. CJ Verdell SOPH.

2. Travis Dye SOPH.

3. Cyrus Habibi-Likio SOPH.

4. Darrian Felix SOPH.

5. Sean Dollars FR. (summer arrival)

6. Jayvaun Wilson FR. (summer arrival)

7. KJ Maduike SOPH.

Not much has changed, at least not in my mind. We should probably feel better about the state of the position as a whole, but I'm not sure we learned too much. I've placed Dollars and Wilson beneath the returners, but would not be shocked if one or both players end up contributing more than a few of the veterans. The talent of both players is clear.