Oregon Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017
By Zach Bigalke
As a true freshman, Troy Dye was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for Oregon. The inside linebacker started the season opener against UC-Davis, becoming the first Duck true freshman to earn a start at linebacker in nearly four decades. He quickly emerged to rack up 91 tackles on the season as a leader of the linebacking corps.
Dye earned freshman All-America honors from USA Today, ESPN, and the Football Writers Association of America. In addition to his tackles, Dye also added 5.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and an interception over the course of the season.
His presence offers Jim Leavitt a key building block at the heart of the defense. He should excel in the shift from Brady Hoke’s 4-3 defense to Leavitt’s preferred 3-4 schemes. The defense will better match the talent recruited to play in Eugene, and Dye’s game should elevate as the players around him gain confidence.
In the end, Dye could easily finish the year with at least 100 tackles and half a dozen sacks. He could get a couple of picks dropping into coverage, and could get better as well at stripping the ball for fumbles. If Dye breaks out in 2017 as the leader of the Ducks defense, Oregon could show dramatic improvement in Leavitt’s first year guiding the defensive side of the ball at Autzen.