Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

The transfer portal never stops grinding. In the current world of transfer chaos, it is not often that news of one surprises almost everyone. But that is what happened when leading Oregon running back Travis Dye recently made himself available.

Recruiting: Oregon offered Dye during the spring after his junior season. With his brother, Troy Dye, already on the roster, he committed to the Ducks a month later. Michigan, Texas A&M, Boston College and UCLA were also considered at the time of his decision.

At Oregon: Dye rushed for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021. He also led the team with 46 receptions and was third on the team with 402 receiving yards, including two scores. Overall, he finished his time in Eugene with 3,111 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground and 83 receptions for 869 yards and eight touchdowns through the air.

Potential landing spots: Interest has continued to come in since Dye entered the portal, with USC, Oregon State, UCLA, Nebraska, TCU, Baylor and Washington State being some of the more aggressive schools.

Farrell’s Take: Dye is a versatile running back with leadership ability and a great catch out of the portal. He can impact the running game and passing game and he can block as well. It’s a surprise to see him leave when he had such success this past season and he will want a home where he can get equal work. So look for a team looking for RB1.

Impact Meter: 8.8 out of 10

IMPACT METER

The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.

1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.

4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.

6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.

9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.

10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.