Ducks Land Hit-Stick Veteran Safety from Purdue

Purdue safeties coach Grant O’Brien told Tom Dienhart of On3 Sports, “He’s got a mental skill set to do something special because of how he approaches a simple task. Last spring, I was like, ‘this guy might have something special,’ and then it obviously translated to production on the field.”

His two older brothers, Jake and Brennan, both played safety at Purdue. They were 7 and 8 years older. They mentored Dillon from a young age, never taking it easy on him, throwing the ball to him as hard as they could, devising backyard games like a punt return contest where he got points for every yard he gained against them, though they made him earn every one.

Dienhart wrote by the time Thieneman reached middle school he requested a workout to follow, and Jake typed one out for him that ran to two pages.

“Brennan and I were going to give him the answers to the test,” said Jake. “We were going to take everything we learned and just pass it on to Dillon to get him started earlier.”

Agility work, position-specific drills, speed training … Jake and Brennan devised a comprehensive plan

“He was doing ladders,” said Jake. “He was doing different footwork stuff. He was doing bodyweight stuff. And he was doing his defensive back drills.”

Dillon also did daily push-ups and pull-ups. This single-minded focus left Brennan and Jake shaking their heads.

“He was always very diligent even though he was younger and kids his age weren’t doing that stuff,” said Brennan.

Both of his brothers came to Purdue as walk-ons and earned a scholarship. They infused him with that dogged mentality.

Dillon started as a freshman at Westfield High, a 6A school north of Indianapolis in Hamilton County. Even then he stayed serious about training, asking his mother Shannon for chicken and pasta. At Purdue he was a 4.0 student majoring in Engineering, a natural athlete who works like he's trying to make the team. In no way is he an unserious person.

It's revealing that as a Boilermaker even as the losses mounted in this year's 1-11 season, Thieneman's pride and effort remained constant. The team lost 45-0 to Ohio State and 66-0 to Indiana. He had double digit tackles in both games.

Coming to Eugene, to a culture based on winning and excellence surrounded by teammates that can match his talent and effort will be extraordinary. He'll join a tradition of great play at safety, players like Anthony Newman, Chad Cota, TJ Ward, Pat Chung and Jevon Holland, sure to become a fan favorite for his intensity.