Travis

Dye

Dye (5’10/201) was a committee back at Oregon for three seasons before breaking out with a 211-1,271/16 rushing line as a senior. He also added 402 yards on 46 catches. Dye then transferred to USC and was on pace for another strong campaign. He had 884 yards and nine scores through 10 games, but a serious knee injury then ended his season in November. Dye tested poorly at USC’s pro day, though it’s possible he wasn’t back to full strength. The poor field conditions were also noted by some in attendance. Dye’s road to the NFL was bumpy, but he has a shot at sticking on a roster if he can contribute on special teams.

Dye (5'10/200) transferred from Oregon to USC in the offseason after a successful stint as the Ducks’ lead back in 2021. Dye took over for the Ducks after C.J. Verdell was lost to a torn ACL early in the season and went on to rush for 1,271 yards 16 touchdowns while also catching 46 passes for 402 yards and another two scores. In an article published by Will Backus on 247Sports.com, Backus writes, “Dye should get plenty of carries, given that the Trojans lost two of their three leading rushers from the 2021 season. While Lincoln Riley gets a lot of attention for his ability to develop quarterbacks, he has a pretty good track record of putting his running backs in a great situation to succeed.” Expected to be a much-improved team in 2022, Dye could also be leaned on late in games when the Trojans are milking the clock, only adding to the potential for a strong season.

Dye (5'10/200) came on in relief of C.J. Verdell last season after Verdell suffered a season-ending injury against Ohio State. Once in the fold, Dye would go on to rush for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns, while adding 46 receptions for 402 yards and another two scores through the air. Following the 2021 season, Dye transferred to USC, where he’s expected to serve as the team’s lead back.

Dye (5'10"/200) may not have gotten quite the headlines that Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison got when they switched to USC, but he figures to be just as impactful on the new Trojan offense. Dye rushed for 1,271 yards last year on a fantastic six yards per carry, and most impressively punched in 18 total touchdowns. Dye is an all-around weapon that will smash through team that are too concerned with the USC passing game, and 2022 could be a banner year for him.

Dye (5'10/200) has been solid on the ground throughout his college career but has also been effective when asked to catch the ball. According to Pro Football Focus, Dye’s drop rate stands at 1.7%, which puts him behind only Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama (1.6%) and Kyle McIntosh of UGA (0.0%), which means he has the third-lowest drop rate of any Power Five running back since 2020. Can he maintain that in 2020? It certainly bodes well for USC, the team he recently transferred to.

Lincoln Riley is no joke when it comes to his recruiting. The Trojans have kept one of the premiers runners in the PAC-12 and possibly found their replacement for Keaontay Ingram. Dye (5'10/200) broke through with Oregon after the injury to CJ Verdell and finished second in the PAC-12 in rushing yards (1,271) and touchdowns (16). Although USC and Oregon don’t play in the same division and aren’t scheduled to meet unless it’s in the PAC-12 championship, it still stings to see him stay and possibly excel in your conference. Riley is making big splashes in the recruiting game and there’s a feeling he isn’t done yet.

This is why we love the transfer portal, guys like Dye (5'10/200) can come in and any school in the country can grab a talent like this. Dye broke through with Oregon after the injury to CJ Verdell and finished second in the PAC-12 in rushing yards (1,271) and touchdowns (16). He’s a downhill dynamic runner and he’ll have a ton of schools lining up at his door.

Dye (5'10/200) capped off a fantastic season by rushing for 150 yards for the second time this season and achieving a milestone in the process. Dye became the fifth player in program history to rush for 3,000 yards in his career on a 21-yard run to get the ball inside the five-yard line. He scored from 11-yards out to start the comeback effort in the third quarter. Once he scored less than four minutes into the third quarter, it gave out vibes of the Alamo Bowl where Oregon happened to blow a 31-point lead against TCU. It didn’t quite come to fruition. Dye still had himself a fantastic season, rushing for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Dye (5'10/200) was arguably the only bright spot of Oregon’s offense in this one, as the Ducks totaled just 221 yards, with Dye accounting for 49.3% of those yards. Dye scored Oregon’s only touchdown with 6:03 left in the fourth quarter, as Oregon was already down 38-3, making it a rather meaningless score for the junior running back who has performed admirably since taking over for injured running back CJ Verdell. Dye has now rushed 192 times for 1,110 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year, while also catching 42 passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns. He and the Ducks now wait to find out who they will play in bowl season to close out the year.

Dye (5'10/200) received the majority of backfield carries in the contest as Oregon came out of the gate hot by establishing a 24-3 lead at halftime. His best play came on a fourth-and-one carry where he broke through the left side of the line untouched for a 20-yard touchdown run to kickoff the Oregon scoring barrage. Dye also chipped in with four receptions for 39 yards, as the junior tailback continues to pick up the slack admirably in CJ Verdell’s absence. He wraps up the regular season by clearing the millennium mark for the first time in his four-year Oregon career, finishing with 1,034 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.