[jwplayer 7aSMLX7C]
Anyone who tuned into the back-half of the Oregon Ducks season in 2021 could have guessed which offensive player had the highest ceiling coming into the 2022 season.
After running back CJ Verdell went down with a season-ending injury against the Stanford Cardinal, the Ducks’ production out of the backfield didn’t skip a beat thanks to the production from true freshman RB Byron Cardwell.
[lawrence-related id=22641]
In the final seven games of the season, Cardwell rushed the ball 52 times for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns. He showed the poise and patience of an experienced back and looked the part of a dominant Oregon RB with the No. 21 on his chest.
In a piece highlighting some young players in college football who could have a breakout season this fall, 247Sports recently highlighted Cardwell as a ‘rising star’ worth keeping an eye on.
DuckTerritory’s Matt Prehm is raving about the upside of Byron Cardwell, who was Oregon’s third ball carrier in the rotation last season prior to starter CJ Verdell suffering a season-ending injury. Cardwell, a 6-foot, 210-pound freshman at the time, finished the year with 61 carries for 417 yards and three touchdowns, much of that total coming over the final month of the season when he averaged better than 7 yards per carry. He’ll likely be the featured option this season under first-year coach Dan Lanning with Verdell off to the NFL and Travis Dye now at USC. And if Cardwell picks up where he left off, look out.
After losing both CJ Verdell to the NFL draft, and Travis Dye to the USC Trojans, the Ducks will need some players to step up in the backfield to keep their offensive production rolling. Fortunately, we have Sean Dollars poised for some big things, and Byron Cardwell looking to become a household name.
Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
[mm-video type=video id=01g0m4dmdvsym6qex9yg playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0m4dmdvsym6qex9yg/01g0m4dmdvsym6qex9yg-9bcd45b44f1d9a06f324992670e970d7.jpg]
[listicle id=22657]