Former Oregon Duck exceeding expectations in a massive rookie season, and he has the stats to show it
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers headed into the 2024 NFL Draft already having a running back on their roster in Rachaad White that had a great year the season before. In the fourth round, they thought they were getting a depth piece to complement White in the backfield when they selected Oregon's Bucky Irving.Turns out, they […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers headed into the 2024 NFL Draft already having a running back on their roster in Rachaad White that had a great year the season before. In the fourth round, they thought they were getting a depth piece to complement White in the backfield when they selected Oregon's Bucky Irving.
Turns out, they found their new lead back. He took over the job and refused to look back.
Irving far exceeded everyone's expectations. He led all rookie running backs with 1,122 rushing yards at a robust 5.4 yards per carry clip, racking up eight rushing touchdowns, and compiling 47 receptions for 392 receiving yards.
He's a do-everything, explosive running back with great speed and has clearly shown the ability to be able to break tackles, despite being a smaller running back at 5'10" 195 lbs. White is still involved in the offense, but his days as the lead back are done.
Irving was heavily involved in the Oregon Ducks offense all three seasons in Eugene, topping 1000 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons. His final season in 2023 as a junior saw Irving record 1,180 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, at an incredible 6.3 yards per carry.
The Buccaneers are on their way into the playoffs as the NFC South champions, and Irving is a big reason why.
The next man up at Oregon, Jordan James, took over the position and handled it well. James is coming off a 1,267 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns season of his own, and recently announced that he's declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. He'll look to continue the trend of Oregon running backs becoming impact players at the next level.
Oregon Ducks’ week goes from bad to worse after Rose Bowl loss with unexpected news
Didn’t see that coming.
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