Eric Evans photo/GoDucks.com

A bit of unexpected news came this morning with Oregon running back Travis Dye hitting the transfer portal. 

He’s the fifth Oregon running back since the end of the season to enter the portal, though Sean Dollars and Seven McGee have both been pulled back in by new Oregon coach Dan Lanning. 

Could Lanning work his magic again with Dye? It’s possible. You’d think any team in America would like to have the production of Dye, who is one of five players in Oregon history with more than 3,000 rushing yards in his career. And of those five — Royce Freeman, LaMicheal James, Kenjon Barner and Derek Loville — none have more than Dye’s 869 receiving yards.

Of course, it’s more complicated than that. Because of the free year of eligibility the 2020 season provided, Oregon has a logjam at the position. And while the Dye and CJ Verdell era has been a success — Verdell is sixth all-time at Oregon and 80 yards shy of 3,000 for his career — the two running backs have been No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in carries for four consecutive seasons. 

That doesn’t happen often. And it certainly doesn’t happen five seasons in a row, especially for a team that recruits at the level Oregon does. 

Behind Dye and Verdell the Ducks have (with 2022 class status):