Though we are in the thick of basketball season and the offseason in football keeps rolling along, a light has shown itself at the end of the tunnel. For the Oregon Ducks, that light is spring football. On March 10, Dan Lanning and his new coaching staff will hit the gridiron for the first of 15 practices with the team, giving us an oasis of things to talk about.
One of the things we are looking forward to the most is seeing some individual players take the field. How do they look after the offseason? Are they healthy? What improvements have they made? How will they be used in the new scheme?
The list of guys we can’t wait to watch is endless, but we highlighted a few key players to keep an eye on.
Running Back Sean Dollars
Size: 5-foot-10, 185 pounds
The running back room for the Oregon Ducks has undergone a significant change since the end of the 2021 season.
CJ Verdell opted not to return to Oregon after missing most of last season with a knee injury, opting to try his luck in the NFL draft. Travis Dye shocked everyone by transferring to USC, while Trey Benson opted to head to Florida State.
New coach Dan Lanning had to work very hard to make sure those were the only departures, convincing both Seven McGee and Sean Dollars to return to Oregon after they both put their name in the transfer portal.
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All the departures mean that Dollars will have a real chance to compete for significant carries in this backfield next season, after missing all of 2021 with a knee injury.
Entering his fourth year in Eugene, Dollars has only managed to appear in six games for the Ducks, totaling 15 carries for 128 yards and two receptions. However, the four-star recruit out of Santa Ana, California is still a dynamic back who has now spent multiple years learning from some of the best backs in school history in Verdell and Dye.
With McGee potentially playing more of a hybrid RB/WR role this year, and with very little experience elsewhere in the running back room, spring is a great opportunity for Dollars to establish himself as the go-to running back for new offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham this year – making him one of the most intriguing players to watch this March.
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