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Oregon Football: Travis Dye’s decision to transfer a real head-scratcher

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 29, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Travis Dye (26) carries the ball against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half of the 2021 Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Travis Dye (26) carries the ball against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half of the 2021 Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oregon football fans thought the next decision from Travis Dye would be about his NFL future but it turns out he’ll be looking for a new school.

Fresh off his best season with Oregon football, Travis Dye has done something that has everyone in shock: he entered his name in the transfer portal.

Everyone assumed the next announcement from Dye would be whether he was going to return for another year in Eugene or enter the NFL draft, but his transfer announcement was nothing short of shocking.

I expected at least one of Dye and CJ Verdell to return to college to finish out their career in 2022, but I did not think either would enter the portal.

This news didn’t just shock Oregon fans, it shocked everyone.

If he had returned and Verdell went pro, Dye would have gotten the bulk of the carries yet again with guys like Sean Dollars, who recently entered the portal and then withdrew his name, and Byron Cardwell getting some touches behind him.

This news is something that might haunt Oregon this season if the Ducks aren’t able to produce a strong rushing attack. He’ll be missed.

Oregon football could still try to bring Dye back

Dan Lanning spoke to the media on Friday afternoon and stated that his top priority is retaining the players who are currently on the roster. He doesn’t want unnecessary transfers out.

That means that Dye’s decision to enter the portal after rushing for over 1,200 yards in 2021 may not be final. Both Sean Dollars and Seven McGee entered the portal and then withdrew their names to return to Oregon after speaking with Lanning and the same might happen with Dye. This might just be an instance of Dye just exploring his options.

If the backfield is too crowded, however, it wouldn’t be the worst move for him to find a new home and he’ll have plenty of suitors. The California native could stay out west and play for another Pac-12 program in his home state or he could make a drastic change and move to the East Coast.

Either way, this news is shocking and Lanning is hoping that it’s not a final decision.

Next. 3 early transfers Oregon football should target. dark

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