Oregon running back Jayden Limar (27) runs away from Oklahoma State safety David Kabongo (18) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen)
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By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jayden Limar is coming back to where everything started.
Limar, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back, announced he will transfer to Washington for the 2026 season in a post on his social media accounts Monday. A former standout at Lake Stevens High, Limar is the ninth player to join the Huskies since the transfer portal opened Jan. 2 and has one season of eligibility remaining.
A Lake Stevens native, Limar spent three seasons with the Ducks, appearing in 32 games. He totaled 442 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 95 carries while adding 20 catches for 207 yards and a score.
His junior season was his most impactful. Limar totaled 262 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 46 carries in 2025 while adding 11 catches for 75 yards. All were career-high marks. His 27-yard catch against No. 4 Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals was No. 5 Oregon’s longest offensive play from scrimmage.
Yet Limar was unable to carve out a consistent role in Oregon’s balanced rushing attack, consistently receiving fewer snaps than senior Noah Whittingham and true freshmen Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. Limar announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal Jan. 6, days before Oregon’s blowout loss to No. 1 Indiana in a game where the Ducks had just three available scholarship running backs.
Limar was also an impactful special teams player for the Ducks, scoring twice. Against Boise State in 2024, he picked up an Oregon fumble in the end zone after Duck returner Whittingham dropped the ball just short of the goal line after a 99-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Limar also recovered a blocked punt and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown against James Madison during Oregon’s 51-34 win in the first round of the CFP on Dec. 20.
Before joining the Ducks in 2023, Limar was one of the most productive high school football running backs in the state’s recent memory. During his time at Lake Stevens High — which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic — Limar registered 4,246 yards rushing and 78 total touchdowns.
Limar’s best season at Lake Stevens was his final one. He rushed for 2,040 yards and 36 touchdowns on 235 carries while adding 330 yards receiving and four scores on 26 catches as a senior.
His efforts culminated in Lake Stevens’ berth in the 2022 WIAA Class 4A state championship game. Limar put an exclamation mark on his high school tenure with a 185-yard rushing performance against Kennedy Catholic in a 24-22 victory as the Vikings won their first state championship. Limar credited the team’s defense for securing the state title.
“They did a great job stopping the run,” Limar told The Seattle Times on Dec. 3, 2022. “Just thank God we were able to get it done. Our defense stepped up tremendously. Our defense won this game for us. They bottled me up a lot, but we were still able to get it done.”
Limar’s standout stint at Lake Stevens earned him attention from around the country. He was considered a four-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting cycle and the No. 2 player in Washington, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Limar flipped to Oregon from Notre Dame on the first day of the 2022 early signing period. He’d been pledged to the Fighting Irish since May 2022.
At Washington, Limar will step into the void left when rising junior Adam Mohammed announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal days after UW defeated Boise State 38-10 in the LA Bowl. Mohammed, a 6-foot, 220-pound running back, had been the heir apparent to Jonah Coleman as the Huskies’ featured tailback for 2026 before deciding to depart. Mohammed announced his transfer to California on Jan. 6.
Mohammed’s abrupt departure left UW with very little experience in its running back group. Rising sophomore Jordan Washington has 30 career carries for 240 yards rushing and a touchdown after primarily serving as the Huskies’ change-of-pace back behind Coleman and Mohammed in 2025. Quaid Carr and Julian McMahan both redshirted during their true freshmen seasons.
The Huskies will also add a pair of freshmen: Ansu Sanoe, a 6-1, 210-pound running back from Lake Oswego, Ore., and Brian Bonner, a 6-1, 185-pound tailback from Valencia, Calif, who was the composite No. 5 running back in the entire 2026 recruiting class.
Limar has an interesting frame compared to the running backs UW has traditionally targeted. He’s comparable to Mohammed, though slightly shorter and 20 pounds lighter. McMahan was listed at 225 pounds in 2025, and Coleman slimmed down to 220 pounds like Mohammed, meaning the Huskies may need Limar to add some weight before the 2026 campaign. He’s noticeably heavier, though, than Washington and Carr, who were standout sprinters who prioritize speed.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
