Travis Dye has handled adversity throughout his life and soccer profession.
Getting by way of these difficulties is probably going why the operating again has been profitable all through highschool and faculty and now has ended up on an NFL roster.
On Friday, the Jets signed Dye as an undrafted free agent as he took half within the crew’s rookie minicamp hoping to land a spot on the principle roster.
“I’m very blessed to have this chance,” Dye instructed the Day by day Information. “I wish to take advantage of out of it.
“This can be a good spot, I like this place, I like these amenities, I like the coaches. I simply wish to run with it.
“Coach [Robert] Saleh is a superb dude, nice coach. Coach [Taylor] Embree, he’s an ideal dude as properly, I’ve recognized him for a really very long time. The coaches have been nice and I find it irresistible right here.”
Because the youngest of 5 kids, Dye needed to combat for every little thing he acquired, on and off the soccer area. Dye comes from a soccer household as his brothers, Tony and Troy, each performed within the NFL as Troy is presently a linebacker on the Vikings roster.
Regardless of his measurement at 5-10, 200 kilos, Dye has made an impression irrespective of the place he’s been since his highschool days at Norco in California. There, he was the 2017 All-CIF Division 2 and Massive VIII League Offensive Participant of the 12 months as a senior as Dye rushed for two,383 yards on 255 carries (9.3 avg) with 34 touchdowns.
Dye dedicated to Oregon as a three-star recruit, as he was rated the bottom operating again within the Geese’ 2017 class. Nonetheless, that didn’t maintain Dye off the sector, as he rushed for 739 yards and 4 touchdowns as a freshman as he cut up time in Oregon’s backfield with CJ Verdell. After sharing time with Verdell additionally throughout his sophomore and junior seasons, Dye lastly received his alternative to be the lead operating again within the Geese offense following Verdell’s season-ending leg damage.
In 2021, Dye was among the finest operating backs within the Pac-12. He registered 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns whereas averaging six yards per carry as Dye earned AP All-Pac-12 second-team honors. Dye additionally led Oregon in receptions for 402 yards and two receiving touchdowns as he helped Oregon to a 10-4 report and look within the Pac-12 Championship earlier than dropping to Utah.
He had a possibility to enter the 2022 NFL Draft, however with an additional yr of eligibility, Dye determined to go away Oregon and return nearer to house at USC after graduating following coach Mario Cristobal’s departure to the Miami Hurricanes.
“It was actually powerful,” Dye stated. “Once I was there at Oregon for 4 years, I thought-about that my house.
“It was very exhausting for me to go away my house and return to my house. It was very powerful telling my teammates and the brand new teaching workers [Dan Lanning] that got here in, it wasn’t a straightforward factor.
“The choice was straightforward, however the execution was exhausting.”
Dye joined a USC crew anticipated to compete for a nationwide championship, however they fell a bit in need of its purpose. The Trojans completed 11-3 and appeared within the Pac-12 Championship as they misplaced to Utah.
On his solution to incomes extra Pac-12 honors in 2022, an ankle damage final November prematurely ended Dye’s faculty profession as he ran for 884 dashing yards and 9 touchdowns on 145 carries whereas additionally bringing in 21 catches for 202 yards in 10 video games.
After rehabbing his ankle damage, Dye returned to the sector throughout USC’s Professional Day in March as he recorded 16 reps on the 225-pound bench press and ran a 4.75 on the 40-yard sprint, which was slower than he would have appreciated.
“The rehab was good,” Dye stated. “I had lots of people behind me in my nook.
“It was a crappy factor the way it ended, I wouldn’t want that on anyone. However it's what it's, it's the sport of soccer. It's a love, hate relationship with it.
“Nevertheless it has been good, rehab has been good.”
After going undrafted within the 2023 NFL Draft, Dye may have a possibility to be the following Jets participant to crack the crew’s 53-man roster. Throughout rookie minicamp final weekend, Dye and different gamers participated in 7-on-7 and positional drills. Dye typically demonstrated his versatility out of the backfield, catching a number of passes from the quarterbacks.
“Simply one other alternative to return in and compete,” Saleh stated about Dye and the opposite undrafted free brokers the Jets signed. “The very best type of motivation is competitors. We’ve added three actually good draft courses since I’ve gotten right here.
“Joe [Douglas] has had 4 of them. Some actually good free brokers, a whole lot of additions, so there’s a whole lot of competitors all the best way throughout the board. So, so as to add athletes, so as to add good gamers to essentially good teams, so as to add competitors, it makes every little thing higher from particular groups all the best way down.”
The Jets backfield is crowded, however one type of motivation for Dye is a participant from that group made the 53-man roster popping out of coaching camp final yr. Zonovan “Bam” Knight initially made the Jets ultimate roster earlier than the beginning of the common season. Whereas he did bounce backwards and forwards between the energetic 53-man roster and the observe squad all year long, Knight lastly caught on the Jets roster as he was the crew’s greatest operating again late within the season.
Following Breece Corridor’s ACL tear, Knight began 4 video games for the Jets, operating for 300 yards and a landing. That included a 90-yard efficiency in a 27-22 loss to the Vikings final December.
Dye’s most important position might come on particular groups, the place he had expertise at Oregon as he averaged 21.2 yards per kick return for the Geese.
“It undoubtedly makes me sit up for one thing,” Dye stated. “I do know Bam is a superb operating again. Simply going onto his coattails and studying what he has accomplished and his previous and making use of that to my sport, it will be actually necessary.”
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