The Oregon Ducks got their first addition in the transfer portal on Saturday afternoon, landing a commitment from former Purdue Boilermakers star Dillon Thieneman.
As a true sophomore, Thieneman further established himself in 2024 with Purdue, racking up another 100-plus tackle season and developing as one of the best defensive backs in the country. Through two seasons, Thieneman has 210 total tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack, and six interceptions.
When he announced earlier this week that he would be entering the transfer portal, Thieneman became one of the hottest names on the market, rated as the top available safety in the portal. Both the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes were after him, among many others, but it was Dan Lanning who was able to land him in the end.
It makes sense that Lanning wanted him, too, based on the glowing review that he’s offered for the Purdue safety in the past.
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Earlier this season, Oregon traveled to West Lafayette to face the Boilermakers, and this is what Lanning had to say about Thieneman then:
“I mean, obviously, 31 is a guy that can play sideline to sideline,” Lanning said. “They play their safety a little deeper than some teams traditionally, which allows him to really play, almost like a flat-footed read player back there who can see the ball and react to the ball. And he’s a really talented player who does a great job of doing that, and finds himself around the ball consistently.”
It was clear then that Lanning had great respect for the safety, and it makes sense now that Oregon wanted him badly, and was likely thrilled to see him enter the portal earlier this week.
Now, Thieneman comes to Eugene hoping to continue the line of very talented safety transfers to find great success with the Ducks. Before him, we saw the likes of Tysheem Johnson, Evan Williams, Kobe Savage, and Brandon Johnson all have major impacts on the defense.
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