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The Oregon Ducks have always been known to have one of the most dominant rushing attacks in college football.

After the dynamic duo of Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington debuted with massive success in 2023, Carlos Locklyn has continued to add promising talent at his position, signing Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar this past cycle.

Limar was viewed by some as Washington's top recruit in 2023 and he's our focus on today's signee spotlight.

Vitals

-Height: 5'11"

-Weight: 190 pounds

-Hometown: Lake Stevens, WA

-High School:Lake Stevens High School

-Led Lake Stevens to first WIAA 4A State Championship in program history

-2022 Washington Gatorade Player of the Year

-Status: Enrolled

Evaluation

Limar is a dynamic talent out of the backfield. He rushed for over 2,000 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior, all while averaging 9.1 yards per carry. 

Lake Stevens ran a shotgun-heavy offense that suited him well and allowed him to showcase his home run speed on a regular basis. He's definitely got some wiggle to his game, as he displayed good change of direction and agility on tape. At 5'11", 190 pounds he still has some room to add some weight to his frame, which will serve him well so long as he doesn't lose any speed. 

What makes him different from Dowdell, aside from their physical stature, is his use in the passing game. In 2022 Limar caught 26 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Those stats won't blow anyone away, but he also lined up in the slot at times which shows just how versatile he is. 

The Recruitment, how it happened

Limar narrowed his 19 reported scholarship offers down to four schools in Arizona, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oregon prior to initially committing to the Irish. 

He was a priority for the Ducks under former running backs coach Jim Mastro, but continued to be recruited by Carlos Locklyn and the rest of the Oregon staff after Lanning's hire. 

Notre Dame added running back Jeremiyah Love in 2023 and lost Dylan Edwards to Colorado after Deion Sanders was hired in what was an up-and-down debut cycle for Marcus Freeman. 

Carlos Locklyn made multiple trips to Washington to see Limar capture a state title and visit him in-home with his family prior to the early signing period. The Ducks had built a lot of momentum late in his recruitment and when it came time for a final decision he flipped his commitment to Oregon in what was a huge early signing period for the Dan Lanning in December.

Outlook at Oregon

Just like Dowdell, Limar enters what could be considered the deepest position on Oregon's roster. With Irving, Whittington and Jordan James all returning from 2022 it'll be a tough path to touches for Limar as a true freshman. 

Fortunately the Ducks don't need him to play right away. You could say Dowdell is more of a physical and stylistic fit than Limar, but don't discount how he can impact the game in multiple phases. 

I like that he's already enrolled and going through workouts with the team, but I wouldn't expect to see him a ton in 2023, but the Ducks did rotate in four, sometimes five backs last season. 

SIGNEE SPOTLIGHT: 2023 Oregon EDGE Teitum Tuioti

Rankings rundown

247Sports Composite Rating: Four-star (0.9050)

247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 294 Natl., No. 18 RB, No. 2 in WA

Rivals Rating: Four-star (5.9)

Rivals Ranking: No. 150 Natl., No. 9 RB, No. 1 in WA

On3 Consensus Rating: Four-star (90.50)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 293 Natl., No. 18 RB, No. 2 in WA

This article first appeared on FanNation Ducks Digest and was syndicated with permission.

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