Husky fans delight after latest news on rival's star running back

Today, it was announced that Oregon Ducks running back Makhi Hughes has requested a redshirt for the remainder of the 2025 season, opting to not play in order to maintain a year of eligibility. Hughes, a transfer from Tulane, was one of the biggest fish in the transfer portal this past offseason -- and he landed with Oregon to be the next elite running back under Dan Lanning, following in the footsteps of Bucky Irving and Jordan James.

Instead, Hughes has played sparingly in four of Oregon's five games so far this season. He has only carried the ball 17 times for 70 yards with no touchdowns. In the two prior seasons at Tulane, Hughes rushed for 2,779 yards and 22 touchdowns.

While Oregon has still been great without contributions from Hughes, this news has provided some satisfaction for Washington fans, as the rival fanbases have gone back and forth about who the better running back was between him and Jonah Coleman ever since Hughes transferred.

While Hughes rode the bench, Coleman has been a beast in 2025. He remains tied for best in the nation for the most rushing touchdowns (nine) through five weeks, despite playing one less game than most of his peers. He has 417 rushing yards on 64 attempts, was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week twice, and the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week once.

While it isn't clear if Hughes will enter the portal again by season's end, this is the first domino to fall that signals that will likely be the case. It's one of countless examples of the grass not being greener for promising players after transferring, especially for those going from Group of 5 to the power conferences.