There are a few positions on the Oregon roster where there isn't a clear cut #1, but rather co-number 1. This is true and running back, where CJ Verdell is the clear 1A with teammate Travis Dye sitting at 1B. In prior interviews RB coach Mastro has said that his system requires the best 2 1/2 to play.

CJ Verdell

5-foot-9 210-pounds

Mater Dei HS,

Chula Vista, CA

Career/2018 (13 games)

202 carries (15.5 carries per game)

1018 yards (5.04 yards per carry)

10 TD (0.77 TD per game)

78.3 YPG

27 catches (2.08 catches per game)

315 yards (11.7 yards per catch)

2 TD (0.15 TD per game)

24.2 YPG

CJ Verdell broke the 1000 yard mark in his redshirt freshman campaign, and it would be highly surprising to see him take a step back this year. Verdell had a few dings last year, as is to be somewhat expected for the position, but has bulked up this off-season. The additional strength doesn't appear to be coming at any cost to his running ability, and he will be running behind one of the top offensive lines in college football.

If the passing game improves as expected, CJ and friends should see an increase in the lanes as teams are no longer able to stack the box. This could result in even more impressive numbers during his sophomore campaign. Despite averaging 5.04 yards per carry, he only ranked #11 in the Pac-12 in that category (right behind Travis Dye).

CJ Verdell held 16 offers when he committed to the Ducks, and despite strong late interest from Nebraska, he kept his commitment. CJ ended up being the earliest signed commit for the 2017 class, later joined by Darrian Felix and Cyrus Habibi-Likio.

While visiting for the Spring Game, CJ was tempted to commit:

“Almost, almost,” Verdell answered. “Everything was a big wow factor. My parents are definitely sold about the whole place. But we decided to come home and think about it some more.”

Verdell headed home with his parents to talk it over and decided to pull the trigger for Oregon:

"After acknowledging God and talking with my family, I've decided to commit to the University of Oregon," he wrote. "I would like to thank God for blessing me to be in this position and all of the colleges/coaches that thought enough of me to offer me. To my future coaches, I'm ready to work. #WTD."

Verdell played in a smaller conference in San Diego, which hurt his ranking a bit at the time. He was only rated as a mid-level three-star, but has shown at least high-three star (All-conference potential) level so far. If the Oregon offense can find the tracks again, Verdell could move into a higher range, but for now, he isn't in the elite ranks of college backs. That's no knock against Verdell, he just has high competition to live up against across the country and in Oregon history.

217 carries (15.5 carries per game)

1194 yards (5.5 yards per carry)

12 TD (0.86 TD per game)

85.3 YPG

29 catches (2.08 catches per game)

348 yards (12.0 yards per catch)

3 TD (0.21 TD per game)

24.9 YPG

While I wouldn't expect an uptick in carries per game, if the Ducks can add a game to the season, all the sudden the numbers follow. With the combination of increased passing game, elite offensive line, and player development, I'd expect at least an increase in the yards per carry that will again move those numbers forward.

Travis Dye

5-foot-10 192-pounds

Norco HS

Norco, CA

Career/2018 (13 games)

140 carries (10.8 carries per game)

739 yards (5.28 yards per carry)

4 TD (0.31 TD per game)

56.8 YPG

12 catches (0.92 catches per game)

69 yards (5.75 yards per catch)

1 TD (0.08 TD per game)

5.3 YPG

Travis Dye's numbers become more impressive when you consider he put them up in his true freshman year. Add to the fact that the box was often stacked, and you have to like the forward potential for Dye. He shows a good burst and compliments Verdell nicely. He didn't quite bring the same passing threat as Verdell, but has been working on blocking this off season and will provide important protection for Herbert.

Travis Dye followed the same path as CJ Verdell, becoming the first signed commit of his class. Also similar to Verdell, Dye was rated as a mid-level three star. After being offered by Oregon in March of 2017, Travis claimed that he wanted to let the recruiting process play out. He knew that his brother was loving it at Oregon, but wanted to make his own decision:

“My brother loves Oregon but that does not dictate my decision,” said Dye.

Despite wanting to let it play out, about a month later, at Junior Day, Travis Dye pulled the trigger for Oregon. He chose Oregon over an offer from New Mexico.

Oregon saw the potential in Travis Dye well before others. Dye's older brother Travis was criminally under-ranked, and the Ducks had faith in the younger Dye to outperform his high school projections. Even more impressive has been his ability to solidly contribute as a true freshman at Oregon. At the very least, he is on course for eventual All-Conference offers with potentially more in store. Like Verdell, he deserves at minimum high three-star status.

151 carries (10.8 carries per game)

876 yards (5.8 yards per carry)

5 TD (0.36 TD per game)

62.6 YPG

14 catches (1.00 catches per game)

84 yards (6.00 yards per catch)

1 TD (0.07 TD per game)

6.0 YPG

Again, the ratio of carries should stay similar for Oregon and the RBs. With some improvement in yards per carry and the potential for an additional game, Dye could push within striking range of 1,000 yards. What will remain to be seen is if Dye can become more of a threat in the passing game, as he wasn't nearly as efficient as Verdell last year.