Alexander: Travis Dye gets to be a Trojan after all…
Dye wasn’t recruited by USC out of Norco High, but the former Oregon running back will be part of Lincoln Riley’s high-powered offense
Jim Alexander (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — Travis Dye is finally a USC Trojan, after four years as an Oregon Duck and a few months of mixed emotions within the process of change.
The puzzle is why it had to take four years for the former Norco High standout to find his way back home.
The Trojans – the Clay Helton Trojans – certainly had their chance to recruit him. Dye was an All-CIF Division 2 performer as a runner, receiver and returner at Norco in 2017, and he was that season’s Big VIII Offensive Player of the Year in a league that features perennial power Corona Centennial, a school that has sent multiple stars to USC including current Trojans Korey Foreman, Gary Bryant Jr. and Tuasivi Nomura.
So, Dye was asked last week, how hard did the Trojans try to recruit him out of Norco?
“Not at all,” he said.
Did he want them to?
“Of course,” he said. “I was always a big USC fan. My older brother (Tony, a safety) went to UCLA (2008-11), and so it would have been sweet from the jump to come to USC. But I was never a highly recruited running back coming out of high school. I had two offers, Oregon and New Mexico State, and I wasn’t going to go play for New Mexico State, no disrespect.”
Danna Dye, Travis’ mother – and an athletic trainer at Corona Centennial, before taking a leave of absence this school year to more closely follow not only Travis but middle brother Troy Dye, a linebacker with the Minnesota Vikings – noted that USC recruited Troy only late in the game, and he wound up playing at Oregon from 2016-19. And her thought was that USC not recruiting Travis out of high school, while frustrating, was probably for the best.
“I’m not going to say I was sad that they didn’t recruit him because I was not very impressed with the previous staff,” she said in a phone conversation this week.
“Working at Centennial for all those years, I’ve seen a lot of our athletes go to SC and I (was) just not impressed with the culture and what was going on over there. I was OK that both my younger ones chose Oregon at that time.”
It turned out well on both counts. When Troy Dye left Oregon he was the only player in school history to have led the team in tackles all four seasons and was a fourth-round pick of the Vikings in 2020. Travis is No. 5 on Oregon’s career rushing yardage list (3,111) and averaged 6.0 ypc with 21 rushing touchdowns and seven 100-yard games, including a 211-yard game against Washington last season and a 153-yard game in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma.
He also caught 83 passes for 869 yards and eight touchdowns as a Duck. The idea that Riley’s offense might give him more opportunities in that department, even with so many offensive weapons coming in, was a factor in his transfer, too.
“His running backs coach (at Oregon, Jim Mastro) did him a great service in that he pressed all of the angles of being in that position,” Danna Dye said. “Not only running routes and looking ahead – and Travis has this uncanny sense of seeing the field, kind of before it happens, so he hits those holes better – but (Mastro) made sure he blocked. And we just watched him go from a really (light) guy to being able to block in these last couple years, and that’s crucial.
“And he’s always had good hands. I think Oregon made him a better all-around back, absolutely. And now I just think this is going to be good for him, to learn a whole different system from a proven commodity.”
Dye didn’t say that he felt he had something to prove after the original snub by USC, though being passed up is never bad motivation. (And he did score what turned out to be the winning touchdown in Oregon’s 31-24 victory over USC in the 2020 Pac-12 championship game at the Coliseum.)
“I don’t take it personally,” he says now. “You know, there’s a billion kids in California. There’s a whole bunch of them that get overlooked with the skill sets like I have. I was just very, very glad that Oregon gave me that opportunity to show my skill set on a high stage, and I’ll always be thankful to them for that.”
The adjustment – from green, yellow and whatever other colors Oregon and Nike have in their palette to USC’s traditional cardinal and gold – was fairly seamless once he got on USC’s campus, Dye said, but there was some transition involved before that point. Dye took the Ducks’ offensive line out to lunch to break the news to them, and loosening the bonds established over four years was tough.
But Dye had the extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19 – he’s pursuing a Master’s degree in gerontology at USC – and the prospect of a coaching change at Oregon, from Mario Cristobal to Dan Lanning, and a new offensive system with the Ducks had an impact. And if he was to have a shot at the NFL, any college football player’s dream, this would be a make-or-break year.
“I needed to worry about my future at that time, and I thought USC (could) bring me a better future in football,” he said. “The decision was easy. But the transition part, and getting comfortable, that was the hard part. But I’m fully settled now, and very, very happy to be here. I’m a Trojan all day now, and whatever colors I’m wearing, I am solely into those colors.”
How hard was it? Danna said there were “probably about six to 10” video calls among family members to help Travis decide. As Danna described it, Troy broke it down to the basics when he referenced the Ducks’ coaching change and asked, “Is that the best coaching staff for you at this time? Will they be in the next couple of years? Yeah, maybe. But that has nothing to do with you.”
So the two sides go their separate ways, and though the Ducks and Trojans won’t square off in the regular season, there is always a possibility of a last hurrah in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas on Dec. 2.
If USC qualifies, at least, there will surely be a caravan up I-15 from Norco to ‘Vegas.
ocregister.com
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NOA COMMITS TO USC!!
While I think Clay Helton fleeced SC and was paid about $15 Million to destroy SC football, SC has recovered and not only the football program but the athletic program is now in great hands and has a bright future in the new world of NIL/Transfers and what it is effect the deregulation of sports. By deregulation, I mean the “pay for play” NIL has made the NCAA irrelevant. First, in football, there is, in effect, no scholarship limits. The “pay for play” Texas Tech NIL is paying $25,000 to 100 kids on the football team (85 scholarship players and… Read more »
I’ve been told by some Stanford alums that they are being told by Stanford that “they can’t do a Collective”, at least for now, for whatever that’s worth, even though they shouldn’t need permission.
I think we both agreed that Stanford would not be part of the NIL/transfer “world”, any more than Harvard, Yale, or Columbia will be. Stanford views itself as an elite educational institution that allows elite athletes to attend. It does not view itself as a sports as a critical part of its mission, and hence it sees no need to compete for and to retain elite football athletes. I cannot imagine either Stanford or Cal tolerating its football players making more than its professors or coaches (which are viewed as professorial staff). Thus, I just cannot see either institution as… Read more »
Despite all the years of playing both schools, I don’t even consider either STAN or CAL a “rival” anymore. They don’t care about football, and we do. It’s amazing how quickly I completely shifted over to the B1G. I’ve surprised myself for sure.
For a supposedly intelligent institution like Stanford, that is dumb. SBR obviously didn’t get or need USC permission. Some of these schools are dumb or just don’t care about sports anymore. Schools with NIL/collectives will even use it to get non revenue sports talent. If you don’t have a collective you are done as national caliber college sports.
STAN has always been a very bizarre breed as far as football goes.
Too much success on the gridiron at The Farm has always made the higher-ups there very skittish, to the eternal frustration of many Cardinal fans. They’re officially done as far as I’m concerned, and so is CAL (even though they might be able to still steal some of UCLA’s money).
Stanford was the first major football power of what would eventually become the Pac-8, early 20th century. A private university like SC. It hasn’t always been a left-wing, elitist “our dung doesn’t stink,” cesspool of Marxism has it? I wonder when it turned bad?
The “change” started in the early to mid 90’s then went full on Woke by the early 2010’s… For a very long time the ‘ford was a Conservative icon, then the “new money” of Silicon Valley infested it and the rest is history…
ATL, Valley Trojan explained the date. I am far more interested in the “why”. Same transition is now underway at SC.
i think that you are indeed correct, unfortunately….
Your observation on scholarship limits is spot on. I came to that same realization as well. For instance, Caleb Williams doesn’t need a scholarship. SBR can just roll that cost into his NIL. That frees a scholarship further down the depth chart for a walk on. Move on to Addison and so on. Eventually every player on the team has tuition covered.
Here’s a good one. Former Trojan baseball players in or retired from MLB go to SBR and set up NIL for the entire baseball team. No more stupid 7.5 scholarship limit in baseball! Batter Up! ⚾
I have it on good authority that the basketball program (mens, of course) will be starting some sort of funding problem similar to the Scholarship Club for SC football, a very successful program copied by many other football programs around the country.
Exactly! The Baseball team is in shambles… No way it should’ve fallen off the cliff like it has! But alas, the same was said about the football program under Hugs…
If the right group of guys from MLB get together and pool resources the Baseball program can look forward to bookin flights to Omaha on a regular, real soon…
Excellent overview and summary of ramifications, RJJ. I give you a solid “A” for your paper.😎
Glad you liked it. I am extremely grateful for SC having competent administrators and now coaches. The Administration had the vision to grasp clearly what was coming, devised a brilliant plan to adjust to it, and then implemented it flawlessly. SC is now at the forefront of collegiate football, specifically, and collegiate sports, in general.
I don’t want to get carried away about eliminating the need for scholarships.
Assume the collective gives $25K, even $50K, to every football player. They’re still students, and they still have to pay tuition. They’re not going to pay [part of] their tuition out of their NIL money. So who’s going to pay that? Is the collective going to pay everyone full tuition + $25-50K/year, and no one gets a scholarship? I haven’t heard anyone hinting at that.
London Gets Hurt “Former USC star Drake London made a couple of nice catches in his NFL debut in the Falcons preseason game on Friday night vs. the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately for Atlanta fans, they won’t get to see their first-round draft pick play anymore the rest of the evening. The franchise announced that he suffered a knee injury and will not return to the game, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “Falcons’ fans are hoping the injury is minor and holding him out of the preseason game is just precautionary. The star wide receiver is expected to be a focal point in Atlanta’s offense this season. “Following the… Read more »
I am not believing that Drake’s injury is “not serious.” The story in Atlanta is that because the city was built on an Indian burial mound, the sports teams are cursed. The Falcons’ first round pick getting hurt in his NFL debut is par for the course.
Well not sure about Indian burial grounds, but over at GaTech the football stadium (Bobby Dodd) is built over an old septic pit… Which explains why the jackets Stink! So, maybe there’s somethin too the “legend” ahem…
Careful, VT57. I am married to a Tech Alumna. Back in the day, Tech was quite the football power. but lately, your theory has as much validity as any. They do stink since their last NC in the early 90’s….
Riley has addressed concerns over the group “Student Body Right” saying he hopes the school and SBR can work together to stay in compliance. It would be foolish to turn their back on alumni wanting to help. Blvd LLC is only there to help students improve their social media, provide scholarship assistance and guide players towards opportunities in NIL. Student Body Right hasn’t said it, but is probably going to offer NIL money to students. Having read that many schools are forming groups to do just that, USC cannot just sit back and wait. The name part of NIL is… Read more »
Drake London; catch and run for the Falcons…..
https://twitter.com/USC_FB/status/1558218091443601408
Any writer that uses the Helton era to judge or gauge USC is sadly going to be mistaken. Things are so different now. Especially with the new Student Body Right coming to life and putting USC on an even stance with the other major universities. I don’t understand the position the hierarchy is taking about being so overly cautious, is it the fear of the ncaa coming again? I truly doubt the ncaa has the cajones to do it again, especially when SC is putting up such a scared cautious front. As they stand right now they offer about the… Read more »
One thing in SC’s favor goin forward, No Haden! The Nat’l Commies Against Athletes know full well AD Bohn won’t bend over an grab ankles like Haden did.
Besides, it’s my guess that AD Bohn & Pres. Folt were “read in” on SBR before anything about it dropped. They’re just playin their cards in this manner so as to Not give the Feckless NCAA even a sniff of a prayer they can take another dump on SC!
maybe,,,,
https://twitter.com/USC_FB/status/1557904204726820864 💪
B/R predicts USC will be spotted at #17 in the AP Poll.
B/R
I read somewhere some writer predicted they would be in the top ten. Kind of overstating them I believe. Around 15 is a great place to start right now. #1 would be better but give it time.
Clay Helton was a fraud. He was never the adult in the room. He’s not an adult. Adults understand that their actions cause results; competent adults understand why, and are able to change their behavior to produce different and better results. Helton has no idea that the sloppiness his teams display on the field is a product of how he coaches. He thinks the way to fix it is to look at the film on Sunday. He thinks everything will be better in November. When his team wins, it’s “Glory to God.” When his team loses, it’s “credit to the… Read more »
The Over/Under Wins for Georgia Southern this season, 4.5! What a turn around for the former “great” USC Head Coach! Hope you are happy Eagles fans! Trojan fans are beyond delirious.
Since you brought it up, it cracks me up that coaches still use the words “tape” and “film”. Nobody’s used tape or film in 20+ years. Hey Clay, if you’re capable of moving into this century with the rest of us, you might try out this new word “video” in your post-loss pressers.
Well said Gator. Helton repeatedly spews those useless platitudes, which even he knew were horsesh*t. He was like a politician, begging for another term, claiming prosperity was right around the corner. I am so glad we are free of that lying weasel. The folks at Georgia Southern was realize soon how they were duped, and they hired the second coming of Gomer Pyle.
Actually, I think Helton out Gomered Gomer.
Our So-Called “Adult In the Room” Remember how we always had to hear about USC just needing an “adult in the room” with The Cat? As if having a simple “adult in the room” would ever be enough to beat all those other adults who had actual coaching talent and brains. The media has often come to Clay’s rescue by singing his so-called “adult in the room” persona to the high heavens. I always found that to be a great example of how the media attempts to control the “narrative” (this now has to be the most overused word of… Read more »
Boom! Nice Friday post, you nailed it!
Even the look on Helton’s face just screams, How did we win this?
Helton lost big-time to both ND and OHIO ST the next year. It was clear USC could not compete with good teams. The wait was on. Then came 5-7 in 2018 (the 15-14 debacle defeat to CAL in the Coliseum was a low point for me).
It was clear in 2015 that Helton couldn’t compete against good teams. His first game as permanent head coach he got blown out by Stanford in the CCG. Then a loss to Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl. And a 1-3 start in 2016 before Darnold rescued him.
Even the wins left you with doubts about Helton. How many “wow, SC looked really good” games can you name after 2016. I can think of one. Stanford in 2017.
Winning Ugly and Losing Big — The Cat’s Ugly Trademarks I remember being at the 2017 opener against W MICH. Hard to believe, but USC was ranked #4 and 28-point faves. While the sputtering Trojans won semi-comfortably 49-31 (and blind Jake Olson, #61, had his first in-game snap on an extra point), it was 21-even heading into the 4th, after USC had actually fallen behind. By then, many of the seats were already empty because it was so tremendously hot that day (only 61K in the stands for the opener, the lowest since Pete Carroll’s opener against SJS in 2001).… Read more »
The Jake Olson story continues to be soooo cool!
So the subject changes from how bad Clay Helton is to SC games played in extreme heat. You’re right about the Western Michigan game — it felt like 110 even though it wasn’t. But I remember 3 games at the Coliseum that were hotter than that one. The first was the Oklahoma game in 1963, during a heat wave so bad they shut down LAUSD. The recorded L.A. high, wherever they measured it, was 113. Who knows what it was on the field. So hot my parents wouldn’t let me go even though I had a ticket. Hottest day of… Read more »
Maybe it’s time to come up with a cool names for our new team standouts. Does anyone remember the Trojan Truck? How about Sam the Bam?
Can we have “Never say Dye?” How about, “The Dye is cast?”
Even the moms knew Helton was a loser. Pretty harsh take by Mrs. Dye.
I knew in 2015 that Helton was a bad choice. Mrs. Dye knew it all along. You guys knew it. So how is it the people charged with finding a replacement for Sarkisian didn’t know and didn’t even have the foresight to ask me?
Blame Max Nikias for hiring The Cat. He, and he alone, made the call, not Pat Haden, who was getting ready to bolt because of health issues.
Pat Haden is more Domer than Trojan now. He never really cared.
I don’t know what happened to Pat. He was truly an amazing guy, both on and off the field, when he was at USC.
It’s crazy how much both Haden and Lynn Swann reduced (some would say wrecked) their legacies because neither was prepared to be the USC AD. Phenomenal falls from grace, neither of which I had the faintest idea was in the cards.
Haden & Swann were victims of EMTD—Everything Max Touches Dies.
It’s rarely mentioned that Haden set up a “foundation” to get his kids into USC. Kind of a forerunner to “Varsity Blues”. Haden was a great USC QB, Rhodes Scholar, Rams QB and lawyer, but a little too slick for me after he retired from football. His stint as a Notre Dame football TV analyst further clouds my perception of him. When I first saw him on an ND broadcast, it reminded me of the Batman character “Two Face”.
But it was Max Nikias who ruined USC football with his decision to make Clay Helton the official coach of USC.
Haden often gets blamed for it, but that’s a real shame because he properly gets brutalized enough for his unfortunate ineptitude in other areas. It was Nikias who made USC a literal slave to The Cat. Then Nikias hired Swann to take the job, and the disaster was complete.
Haden may be a secret Domer. I don’t know about that. But the real Trojan football crime was signing up The Cat, and that’s 100% on that clown Nikias.
The initial mistake was to hire Clay. The larger mistake was to extend his contract. By the time of the extension, it was obvious to anyone with any football knowledge that Clay was an incompetent. Yet, he was given an extension at a significant pay rate, that made Clay a very wealthy man. The irony of it all is that if Clay had not been extended, we probably would not have gotten LR. I am approaching it with the view “All’s well that ends well.” The decision of both Haden and Swann to go along with Nikias’ desire to have… Read more »
Just saw an interview involving the NY Giants defense including the Giant defensive coaches feeling confident in a certain 26 yrs. old DB being a defensive CAPTAIN ……His Name ? …….Adoree’ Jackson .
2016 Jim Thorpe Award winner Adoree Jackson is definitely one of my favorite greatest USC players ever. Talk about a classy competitor. So glad to see him impressing in NY (signed a three-year $39 mil contract in 2021).
Jackson didn’t really like how he was being coached at Tennessee by Mike Vrabel. Now he’s much happier and a leader with the Giants, who have a lot of problems of their own by the way.