Tag: Travis Dye

Recruiting Superlatives: Highlighting Oregon’s most notable recruits over last 5 years

Who is the most influential Oregon recruit in the last 5 years? What about the biggest recruit to get away? We give some Duck recruiting superlatives.

On Monday morning, Bruce Feldman and The Athletic put out an article in their series of recruiting breakdowns looking at some of the top teams in the nation over the past couple of decades and offering superlatives for some of the most notable recruits to come through the program.

In the article (subscription required) they talked about Joey Harrington and De’Anthony Thomas as two of the most important recruits in program history, and identified Justin Herbert as the biggest developmental project, rising from an overlooked 3-star into the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

I’m not going to bite into Feldman’s writing; it’s very good and deserves your attention. However, it did get me thinking about some superlatives that could be handed out for a more current group of recruits. While Feldman looked as far back as 2000 to identify some top players, I wanted to dial in the microscope a little bit and come of with some superlatives of my own.

For this exercise, I go back five years ago to the 2018 recruiting class, and started from there up to the last class that was signed in 2023. I also threw in a few “future superlatives” for good measure, highlighting a few of the recruits in 2023 and 2024 who I think will have major impacts down the road.

Without further ado, here are my superlatives for the Oregon Ducks recruiting over the past five years:

Travis Dye signs UDFA deal with New York Jets

Travis Dye doesn’t have a prototypical NFL body, but he’s a quality player with heart and smarts. The #Jets gave him a shot.

The USC Trojans smashed the transfer portal a year ago, and one of the biggest gets was Oregon running back Travis Dye. Dye’s final college season (and his only one at USC) was fantastic. Dye spent four years in Eugene with the Ducks, but he rushed for 884 yards on 145 carries with nine scores as a Trojan.

During the 2023 NFL Draft, Dye waited and waited for a draft call which never came. However, the New York Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent. He will get a chance to prove himself in a backfield which now has Aaron Rodgers.

Dye’s numbers in 2021 at Oregon were eye-popping — he had 211 carries for 1,271 yards with 16 touchdowns. After coming to USC, his numbers declined due to Caleb Williams, Jordan Addison, and a bevy of other options on offense. Dye was tremendous for the Trojans, but the ball needed to be spread around in the offense, and most plays needed to evolve with the ball in Caleb Williams’ hands.

Dye played just 10 games due to injury and saw his season end with an injury against Colorado last November.

Dye’s lack of size and heft makes him a tough fit in the NFL, but don’t underestimate his ability to find a way to stick on a roster.

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2023 NFL draft: Chargers had meeting with USC RB Travis Dye

The Chargers are showing interest in a player from down the road. 

The Chargers are showing interest in a player from down the road.

According to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, Los Angles had USC running back Travis Dye do positional drills and met with him at their local pro day.

Wilson also reported that Dye ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 and 4.50 via video-electronic with a trainer.

An Oregon transfer, Dye had a leg injury that ended his season prematurely with the Trojans.

In 10 games in 2022, Dye amassed 884 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 145 attempts, while he also caught 21 passes for 202 yards.

During his time with the Ducks, Dye recorded 3,111 career rushing yards, 869 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.

Despite being invited to the NFL scouting combine, he wasn’t able to take part in any of the drills due to his injury recovery.

The 5-foot-10 and 201-pound Dye is a quick and elusive back with good contact balance and very yards-after-catch skills as a receiver.

The Chargers could be looking to bring in more players to compete for a roster spot or on the practice squad, and Dye would be a solid option on late Day 3 or as a priority free agent.

Justin Herbert and Dye are familiar with one another, having spent two seasons (2018, 2019) on the same team.

Rams 2023 Draft Prospect Profile: Travis Dye (RB, USC)

Travis Dye out of USC could be a decent late-round option at RB for the Rams in the 2023 NFL draft.

It goes without saying that the running back position isn’t the most glaring need for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason. After producing a 5-12 record in 2022, the Rams have multiple holes on their roster that need to be addressed via free agency and the 2023 NFL draft.

Despite the running back position not being a major need, the Rams could very well add one in this year’s draft. While they could express interest in one of the running backs projected in the early rounds, there are a few notable names to keep an eye on in the later rounds.

If the Rams happen to take a running back in the back half of the draft, Travis Dye out of USC is a prospect that could be an option.

Travis Dye can launch comeback from injury at NFL combine

Dye’s lack of size will limit his NFL role, but that role could still be significant. Dye will #FightOn to see what he can achieve.

Five USC football players have been invited to the 2023 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. The event will take place from February 28 through March 6.

USC’s invitees include wide receiver Jordan Addison, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu, and offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, and — last but not least — running back Travis Dye.

Travis Dye enjoyed a strong season cut short by injury. Dye finished with a team-best 891 yards on a team-leading 145 carries (6.1 yards per carry) and also scored nine rushing touchdowns. He added 21 catches for 201 receiving yards as well.

Dye projects as a reliable depth piece who could end up on a practice squad early on. His effort should allow him to contribute on special teams. He lacks the size and athleticism to ever be given a high volume of touches, his NFL comparison to me is Phillip Lindsay.

The combine gives scouts the chance to evaluate the year’s top draft-eligible college players on a variety of medical, mental and physical criteria.

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USC football 2023 NFL draft tracker

The USC Trojans will see a few changes this offseason. Here is the list of the players headed to the 2023 NFL draft.

Transfers are being monitored across the country. Recruitment commitments are being tracked as well. Pac-12 transfers who move from one school within the conference to another are also being followed and studied. It’s tracker season.

Guess what? We have another tracker for you to track.

The list of USC football players who have declared for the 2023 NFL draft is growing. It’s true that this will be Lincoln Riley’s first NFL draft as USC head coach, but it’s also true that this draft class won’t reflect the true measure of Riley’s impact, given that he didn’t land any of these players as high school recruits. He did grab some of them through the transfer portal, but not as Oklahoma Sooners four years ago.

Here’s the 2023 USC football NFL draft tracker:

Travis Dye opens up on his season-ending injury, his year at USC, and more

Travis Dye talked to the Orange County Register about his one season at #USC. It’s clear he loved being a Trojan and playing with this group of teammates.

Travis Dye was such a blessing to the USC community and the 2022 Trojan football team.

Dye was obviously an on-field producer, a running back who could be relied on to get the tough yards in short-yardage situations. Third and one? Fourth and one? Dye would get the big yard and keep a drive going. Yet, he was so much more than a clutch running back.

He pass blocked. He provided leadership in the locker room and on the field. After his injury, he continued to encourage his USC teammates during games, being an extra coach on the sidelines. He was — and is — everything a football player and a good teammate should be.

The USC Trojans were extremely fortunate to have him. More than just a great player, Dye was a great leader and a great teammate for this amazing journey under Lincoln Riley in 2022.

Dye recently talked to Adam Grosbard, the USC beat writer for the Orange County Register. Here are highlights of what he said:

Know your foe, USC: Which Trojans could give Notre Dame problems

Which Trojan’s do you fear?

Anytime you face-off against one of the top rated teams in the country, there’s going to be plenty of talent on the other side of the field. That’s exactly the case as the Irish travel to Los Angeles to take on the No. 5 USC in a highly anticipated matchup. The home team has plenty of firepower, led by Heisman candidate Caleb Williams and his go-to receiver Jordan Addison. Since we all know about their exploits, we won’t touch on them but here are five of their teammates that could give Notre Dame problems.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

 

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Audric Estime vs. Travis Dye

One of these guys won’t be available.

It would be easy to say Notre Dame has a disadvantage at running back going its game with USC. That said, yeah, that sentiment might be correct, at least as far as the season as a whole. [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] has had a decent 2022 for the Irish, doing more than anyone possibly could have anticipated at the start. It sure would be nice to see finish with a fine performance against the Trojans and then during a bowl game.

If he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury, Travis Dye would have countered the Trojans’ rushing attack. While he wasn’t that much better than Estime for the most part beforehand, the advantages he possesses are clear. The most obvious advantage was that he was targeted a lot more in the passing game, and he was slightly more productive on the ground with more opportunities to run the ball.

Alas, Austin Jones and Raleek Brown will have to pick up the slack Dye left behind. Whether they can do effectively against the Irish remains will be interesting to watch.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

With Travis Dye injured, Jordan Addison returned to full strength just in time for USC

The Travis Dye and Eric Gentry injuries hurt #USC a lot vs UCLA, but Jordan Addison regaining full health compensated. It was just enough to win.

USC came into the UCLA game knowing Travis Dye would not play. To be sure, Austin Jones needed to play well, and he definitely did, rushing for over 100 yards and cracking the end zone. However, we all know where USC’s bread is most centrally buttered: in the passing game with Caleb Williams throwing the rock.

Williams threw for 470 yards and completed 74.4 percent of his passes against UCLA. The Trojans amassed over 640 yards. The central engine of their offense is Williams, and when that engine is roaring, we all know who the big dog is for the Trojans on the receiving end of Caleb’s aerials:

the man who was injured the past few weeks and needed the Arizona-Cal-Colorado soft schedule to quietly recuperate and gear up for UCLA.

It’s an interesting and important plot twist for USC: We wondered if Eric Gentry would be a factor against the Bruins. We knew the Travis Dye injury would limit USC. Gentry seemed to be the compensatory piece USC needed to get healthy for this game.

No.

Jordan Addison getting back to full strength was enough — albeit barely — to win the day for the Trojans on a night when Gentry wasn’t anywhere close to full health.

Here’s more on Addison’s night plus a lot of other USC stories in this Trojan notebook on the UCLA game: