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QuickTake:
The redshirt freshman is trimmed down a bit and has earned praise from Oregon’s staff. With Jordan James off to the NFL, Riggs’ versatility as both runner and receiver could give him a bigger role this season.
There haven’t been many times Da’Jaun Riggs has felt out of shape.
The Ducks’ redshirt freshman played receiver and running back at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., and earned an Oregon offer after back-to-back seasons of 1,000-plus all-purpose yards. Wisconsin wanted him. Minnesota wanted him. Nearby Maryland wanted him, too.
Instead, Riggs signed with Oregon in December 2023 and spent the rest of his senior year picturing how he’d fit in the Ducks’ backfield out West. When he arrived in Eugene for summer workouts in 2024, though, the three-star back realized he’d done more thinking than moving.
“Coming off my high school year, I’m not going to lie, I was chilling. Graduation — I was eating a lot,” Riggs said. “I got here so late that the next thing we had was camp. I was out there dying. (Running backs coach Ra’shaad Samples) got me doing 30 times over and over. I kept messing up the drill. ‘Go again. Go again. Go again.’”
The freshman wasn’t needed in 2024 with the likes of Jordan James in the backfield. With James now in the NFL, Oregon’s reps at the position in 2025 are up for grabs – even with the addition of Tulane’s Makhi Hughes through the transfer portal.
If Riggs wanted to start earning his keep, Samples told him, he needed to slim down from the 210-pound frame he brought to Eugene.
“Coach Samples pushed me, he guided me to the right way and I got back in shape and got my body right,” Riggs said. “Finally, towards the end of the season, I got the opportunity to touch some field.”
With his legs and lungs under him, Riggs debuted with five carries for 44 yards in a 38-9 win over Illinois. His second appearance came at the end of the regular season: six carries for 38 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown — the only score by a true freshman for UO in 2024 — in a 49-21 win over Washington.
While he finished the year with 11 carries for 82 yards and retained his redshirt status by playing in just two games, the dedication of the running back known as “Dink” didn’t go unnoticed.
“Dink has an immense level of talent,” Samples said of Riggs. “He has pace. He has feel. He has a really good conceptual understanding for the game, and he’s competing at a high level. I think he has to continue to grow. He has a chance to play as a redshirt freshman.”
And because he’s in shape, that might not just be at running back. Checking in this fall at 205 pounds, Riggs has leaned on his past as a receiver to find more ways onto the field. Though he’s still one of Oregon’s larger backs, his versatility makes him a prime candidate for passing downs.
“Flat routes. Corner routes. Screen plays — I can do more than just run the ball out of the backfield,” Riggs said. “I can create space for myself and things like that. I think that’s good.”
And if Samples or any of the other Oregon coaches have suggestions? Riggs said he’s all ears.
“You got to take critiques sometimes,” he said. “I feel like some people can’t do that. I took it and worked hard and ran with it.”
