Oregon RB Travis Dye enters the transfer portal

The question for Oregon fans had been whether running back Travis Dye would pursue the NFL draft or return to the Ducks for another season.

Instead, the answer is neither, at least at the moment, as Dye entered the NCAA transfer portal on Friday after rushing for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns on 6.0 yards per carry with 46 catches for 402 yards and 2 TDs this past season.

Overall, Dye has 3,111 career rushing yards, 869 receiving yards and 29 total touchdowns over four seasons with the Ducks.

New Oregon coach Dan Lanning was asked about the status of Dye and fellow running back CJ Verdell on Thursday and sidestepped the question.

"Some of these guys are still going through the process of making some of those decisions, and I don't want to necessarily put a timeline on each person's situation because each situation is different. I'll say this -- I'm excited about the group of backs we have," Lanning said. "We'll continue to be aggressive in finding guys that can enhance our program and make us better, but I think a lot of those guys will be a part of what we're doing moving forward."

If Dye indeed leaves, and pending a decision from Verdell, who rushed for 397 yards and 5 TDs as a fourth-year junior, the rest of Oregon's returning backfield consists of:

-Sean Dollars, who had gotten some action in 2019 and 2020, rushing 15 times for 128 yards, but missed the entire 2021 season due to injury.

-Byron Cardwell, who rushed 61 times for 420 yards and 3 TDs as a true freshman this fall.

-Seven McGee, who had 14 carries for 61 yards and 1 TD as a true freshman.

Fellow running back Trey Benson also entered the transfer portal this week (as did Dollars before ultimately deciding to stay at Oregon).