Excluding any yet-to-be-determined departures or late additions to the program via the transfer market or the February signing period, the essential foundation of the Oregon roster heading into the 2019 season is now set.

Following a stretch of days last week that saw wide receiver Dillon Mitchell declare for the NFL Draft and up-and-coming defensive assistant Cort Dennison depart for Louisville, the Ducks received some positively good news Thursday, as veteran linebacker Troy Dye announced he would be returning to school for his senior season, turning down an opportunity to enter April’s NFL Draft.

 

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— Troy Dye (@Tdye15dbTroy) January 10, 2019

Interestingly, it was also reported by NBC Sports Northwest on Thursday that Dye’s decision to return to Oregon was influenced in part by an unofficial decision to retain defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, who has been mysteriously absent (at least publicly) on the recruiting trail the last few months and whose name has been linked to a number of head coach openings this offseason.

While Leavitt’s return to Oregon has yet to be confirmed, the long awaited news surrounding Dye is. With it, the Ducks bring back their leading tackler from each of the past three seasons, and the first player since Michael Clay (2011-12) to log 100 or more total tackles in consecutive years.

Beyond the near unparalleled production, however, Dye’s return to Oregon continues a welcomed and developing theme of stability early this offseason. After enduring back-to-back years of upheaval at the highest levels of the program, it appears as if the Ducks will finally have some solid footing heading into what figures to be one of the most highly anticipated seasons since the days of Marcus Mariota.

Considering Mitchell’s departure, Oregon will return 10 of 11 starters on offense and seven of 11 starters on defense – following the graduation of Jalen Jelks, Justin Hollins, Kaulana Apelu, and Ugo Amadi – from a team that went 9-4 (including a bowl victory) this past season. And while there remains significant questions on offense despite the returning starters, with Dye in the fold, the Oregon defense should be one of the most talented overall units in the Pac-12 – at least on paper.

It’s true that the Ducks found themselves in a similar position last offseason with the returning talent they welcomed back to the roster coming off a 2017 season that saw the Oregon defense execute an impressive about face following a 2016 campaign in which the Ducks were among the nation’s worst units on that side of the ball. Yet, in 2018, there’s no denying the fact the defense fell short of improving upon their new standard. The Ducks slipped from 28th and 46th nationally in defensive yards per play and total defense, respectively, in 2017, to 42nd and 55th in the same respective categories this past season. Certainly some of this can be blamed on the offense’s notable struggles, but let’s not forget that the 2017 defense was saddled with covering for an offense that was in the toilet without quarterback Justin Herbert (broken collarbone) for a five-game stretch.

Still, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic heading into the 2019 season. Alongside Dye, the Ducks return a veteran-laded defensive line headlined by junior nose guard Jordan Scott, an athletic group of linebackers spearheaded by Dye and fellow rising senior La’Mar Winston, and an improving secondary led by juniors Thomas Graham and Deommodore Lenoir, and super sophomore Jevon Holland. This doesn’t even include the infusion of talent the Ducks will receive from a highly-touted defensive recruiting class that features commitments from four-star recruits Mykael Wright and Mase Funa, and five-star prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux, who comes to Eugene as the highest-rated recruit in program history.

The remaining questions now surround who replaces the departed Dennison as the Ducks’ linebacker coach, and does Leavitt return for a third season in Eugene?

The answer to the former will likely come sometime within the next few weeks, as one can assume that head coach Mario Cristobal would prefer to have someone in place once the staff turns its full attention to the class of 2020 and beyond following the start of the February signing period. The Leavitt conundrum, however, figures to be a bit more complicated and may not reach its final conclusion until the NFL season ends and the ensuing coaching carousel comes to a halt.

For now though, the Oregon faithful can rest easy knowing that one of the most productive defensive players in program history is officially back and primed to cap off his decorated career in emphatic fashion.