RLR_7019.JPG

Royce Freeman is coming back for his senior season in Eugene.

(Randy L. Rasmussen/Special to The Oregonian)

Two of the Oregon Ducks' most talented football players are returning for their senior seasons, delaying their shots at the NFL for a final chance to return to the form that made them among the country's best at their positions until injuries set in this fall.

Running back Royce Freeman and left tackle Tyrell Crosby are back.

Along with the hiring of defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt from Colorado, the returns of Freeman and Crosby rank as the most notable accomplishments for new head coach Willie Taggart since taking the job three weeks ago, and bolster his reputation as a recruiter -- whether that means wooing future Ducks or keeping current players in Eugene a little bit longer.

Getting Freeman back for 2017 is "among the top recruiting coups we could hope to attract," Taggart said in a school release.

Freeman thanked former coach Mark Helfrich in his statement and called himself "extremely grateful" for longtime running backs coach Gary Campbell's coaching and influence.

"However, the prospect of playing for coach Taggart in my final year here was certainly a factor in my return. His enthusiasm and vision for this program are contagious. I am excited to be coached by him and to enhance my development."

Freeman has led Oregon in rushing each of his three seasons in Eugene, gaining 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman during Oregon's run to the College Football Playoff national championship game before a school-record sophomore season with 1,838 yards in 2015.

His 4,146 career rushing yards are second-most in UO history, behind LaMichael James' 5,082.

After Freeman's announcement, Dane Brugler, an NFL draft analyst for CBS Sports, wrote on Twitter that "usually RBs jumping to NFL is the right call, but smart move IMO for Freeman after a disappointing JR season."

Crosby missed the season's final nine games due to a foot injury that had nagged him since the summer. Like Freeman, Crosby has started since he was a freshman and had proven to be ultra-reliable when healthy.

Shortly after UO publicized Freeman's reutrn, Crosby posted a photo to social media of him lifting Freeman in the air with the message: "Looking forward to 2017 season."

"After talking with coach Taggart, I realized that I wanted to be a part of the plan he has for the program," Crosby wrote on Instagram. "My family and loved ones are supportive of my decision to return to Oregon next year. The NFL remains my ultimate dream and I think this puts me in the best position to realize that dream. I am excited to finish out my career at Oregon next year."

After rushing for 106 yards in November's Civil War loss to Oregon State -- the 22nd 100-yard game of Freeman's UO career -- Freeman said he would consider "all my options" in deciding whether to leave for the NFL or stay for one final season, noting that he didn't necessarily want to end his career with a bad taste of UO's 4-8 season still lingering.

Oregon missed its first bowl since 2004 -- and that wasn't the only streak that ended.

For the first time in 10 seasons, Oregon did not produce a 1,000-yard rusher. And for the first time in 11 years, UO didn't lead the Pac-12 in rushing.

Freeman ran behind one of the youngest offensive lines in the country as Oregon started four freshmen. That offensive line only grew more inexperienced when the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Crosby broke his foot in a Sept. 17 loss at Nebraska.

Freeman wasn't immune to health issues, either, while rushing for 945 yards in 11 games. Against Nebraska, he suffered a painful leg contusion in the first quarter. Then in early October against Washington, a hard hit injured his sternum.

The injuries limited Freeman's speed and ability to power through tacklers, with several NFL talent evaluators telling The Oregonian/OregonLive in November that Freeman's relative lack of explosiveness compared to other pro-bound running backs would cloud his draft stock. All noted, however, that his footwork and physique put him in the conversation for a potential selection in the early rounds.

Had Freeman left for the NFL he would have been competing against one of the deepest running backs classes in years. LSU's Leonard Fournette and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey are the headliners, with each considered a likely first-round selection after announcing they will skip their senior seasons.

Instead, Oregon again is expected to return one of the deepest backfields in the country. Junior-to-be Tony Brooks-James was named the team's offensive MVP in 2016 after gaining 926 yards from scrimmage this fall, and 7.8 yards per touch, with 10 touchdowns. Kani Benoit will be a redshirt senior and Taj Griffin will be a junior, though his outlook for the season remains uncertain due to a knee injury suffered in November.

"After consulting with my family and giving this considerable thought, I feel this is the best decision for me in regards to my future on and off the field," Freeman said. "My education was one of the most important reasons I chose to come to Oregon and that priority hasn't changed."

Taggart, himself a former running backs coach while at Stanford from 2007-09, has not officially hired a running backs coach to his staff, leaving open the possibility that longtime assistant Gary Campbell could return to campus just like Freeman. Campbell, however, is the longest-tenured assistant coach at one school in major college football and is heavily considering retiring.

-- Andrew Greif

agreif@oregonian.com