Over the past several seasons, a handful of talented Oregon players have left the program for numerous reasons. While the majority of those players chose to take their talents elsewhere under their own terms, a handful of the others were dismissed from the program for various disciplinary reasons.
“Just guys looking for an opportunity or a better fit,” Helfrich said when a trio of Oregon players chose to transfer in January of 2015. “Then there’s a couple other guys that I would say are in limbo as far as what the rest of their career holds. We will support those guys and help those guys as they make that transition.”
Several of those players are already contributing at a high level for notable programs around the nation, while others attempt to find their footing.
Chance Allen — Houston
Out of all the players who left Oregon over the past few seasons, Allen has found the most individual success. The senior wideout was named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nations top receiver. After finishing with nine catches for 98 yards in two seasons at Oregon, the Missouri City, Texas, native transferred closer to home and has thrived for a Houston squad that is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation. Allen is third among Cougar receivers this season with 33 catches for 442 yards. He finished with 752 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Morgan Mahalak — Towson
After coming to Oregon as one of the most coveted quarterback recruits in the nation, Morgan Mahalak’s time in Eugene didn’t go the way that he, or the Oregon staff, expected. Mahalak never played a snap in an Oregon uniform and was stuck working with the scout team during his redshirt freshman season, despite Oregon’s struggles at the quarterback position in 2015. He asked for his release from Oregon last January and announced a week later that he would sign with the Towson University Tigers in Maryland. He earned the starting spot for the team in fall camp, but has played in just two games, completing 21-of-40 passes with no touchdowns.
Chris Seisay — Portland State
Seisay’s departure has arguably had more impact than that of any Oregon player. The junior cornerback left the Ducks less than two weeks before the 2016 season began because he “wasn’t as happy as he thought he would be.” Seisay quickly found a landing spot at nearby Portland State University, where he requested to play wide receiver instead of cornerback. He has ended up doing both for the Vikings, and has three catches for 66 yards thus far, along with 17 tackles, including a season-best seven against Southern Utah. He snagged his first interception for the Vikings on Oct. 8 against Weber State.
HIGHLIGHT | This is the definition of a timely INT. Congrats to Chris Seisay on his 1st INT as a Viking! #GoViks https://t.co/bixhf0OwMZ
— Portland State FB (@viks_football) October 9, 2016
Kirk Merritt
Merritt was one of the top athletes in the class of 2015 before coming to Oregon, but transferred after just one year with the Ducks in which he played scarcely. Merritt transferred to SEC powerhouse Texas A&M and will be eligible to play as a sophomore in 2017.
Eric Amoako — Minnesotta
Amoako was the No. 25 defensive back in his recruiting class, but played just one game for Oregon during the 2013 season before choosing to transfer. He spent the 2014-15 seasons at Houston Baptist, where he ranked third on the team in tackles in 2014 before looking for a change of scenery once again. He transferred to Minnesota early this summer, and has played sparingly for the Golden Gophers. Amoako has registered two tackles in five games and started in none of them.
Stephen Amoako — Louisiana-Monroe
The twin brother of Eric Amoako, Stephen Amoako transferred one year after his brother did and landed at Illinois State University in the Missouri Valley Conference. He played in three games and started one for the Redbirds. He then transferred to University of Louisiana-Monroe as a graduate transfer and has recorded four tackles and four pass-breakups in four games.
Oshay Dunmore — Southern Oregon
Dunmore was a highly sought-after three star recruit from Newport High School along the Oregon coast and came to Oregon as both a safety and decathlete. He shifted to linebacker later in his career and was in line for significant playing time heading into the 2014 season but was dismissed from the team due to several rule violations before the start of the year. He initially transferred to Illinois State and played a key role in the Redbirds’ run to the 2014 FCS title game. However, he was dismissed from Illinois State after the season for conduct detrimental to the team and then landed at Southern Oregon. He started seven games and made 53 tackles for the Raiders in 2015 and is redshirting this season.
Jake Rodrigues — San Diego State
The No. 12 quarterback in the class of 2012 was in competition with Jeff Lockie to be Marcus Maritoa’s backup going into the 2014 season, but he decided “football wasn’t working out” in Eugene, and chose to transfer back home to SDSU, which recruited him heavily out of high school. He has yet to throw a pass during his tenure as an Aztec and is the teams third-string quarterback this season.
Damion Hobbs — Utah State
Hobbs was a three star recruit and redshirted the 2013 season before choosing to transfer prior to the 2014 season, around the same time that Rodrigues transferred. Hobbs landed at Utah State, where he sat out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He completed four passes in 2015 while handling third-string duties and has yet to throw a pass this season. He has rushed for 13 yards and one touchdown on three carries this year.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney
