Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) reacts after a Penn State Nittany Lions touchdown Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Penn State Nittany Lions won 49-10. Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks' Dillon Thieneman Ranked Among Best Defensive Backs in College Football

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Arden Cravalho | Last updated May 7, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Oregon Ducks allowed just 187.3 passing yards (No. 20 least in the country) and 323.7 total yards (No. 18 least in the country) in 2024. Oregon coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi are going to have hard time topping that in 2025, but Purdue Boilermakers transfer Dillon Thieneman would believe otherwise.

Here are the top eight defensive backs heading in next season, according to ESPN. Three of the eight play in the Big Ten Conference, one being Thieneman as he prepares for his junior campaign.

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No. 1 - Ohio State Buckeyes junior Caleb Downs

No. 2 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish sophomore Leonard Moore

No. 3 - Tennessee Volunteers junior Jermod McCoy

No. 4 - Indiana Hoosiers junior D'Angelo Ponds

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No. 5 - Oregon Ducks junior Dillon Thieneman

"A guy that is infatuated with football, right? And infatuated with the extra work. You know, there's probably not a day that goes by that Dillon’s not in the weight room, getting bonus work, doing extra rehab, getting extra film."Oregon coach Dan Lanning

No. 6 - Clemson Tigers junior Avieon Terrell

No. 7 - Duke Blue Devils senior Chandler Rivers

No. 8 - Texas Longhorns senior Michael Taaffe

Through his first two seasons with Purdue, Thieneman had a whopping 210 total tackles (leading the team in 2023 and 2024), eight pass deflections, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack. The Indiana native started all 24 of his appearances with the Boilermakers while earning All-Big Ten selections twice. He was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023.

"His intelligence, all those things, are really picking up, you know, establishing some standards for the DB group and how they're going to operate. I think he's done a great job of that, and I know he's not satisfied.”Oregon coach Dan Lanning

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ESPN also ranked Oregon transfer and junior running back Makhi Hughes as college football's No. 6 breakout player. With the Tulane Green Waves from 2023-24, Hughes had 2,779 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns on 523 attempts through 28 career games. He was named to the First Team All-American Athletic Conference twice.

"Every day he's getting comfortable. He's (Makhi Hughes) getting more and more comfortable with the playbook. You can see some of his natural ability starting to come out as he's starting to play faster and think less."Running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples

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Per On3, Oregon's incoming transfer portal class is ranked No. 4 in the nation with 11 total commits. The adjusted Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) value of the class is $1.7 million.

"Oregon has by far the most talented Transfer Portal class coming when looking at the On3 Industry's average ranking per commit. From three terrific offensive linemen to two Indianapolis-area defensive backs to landing the top running back in the portal, Dan Lanning and his staff cleaned up."On3's Steve Wiltfong on the Ducks

This article first appeared on Oregon Ducks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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