Oregon Ducks Transfer Safety Dillon Thieneman On New Leadership Role

The transfer Thieneman might be new to Eugene, but the safety brings prior experience to a defensive back room with a handful of younger players.

“Coming in here, I feel like I needed to earn my place to the new guys, to prove myself,” Thieneman said. “All the experience I have from my past two years, I wanted to use that as a platform to kind of be a leader and help the younger guys who don’t have as much experience.”

The former Purdue Boilermaker joins the Ducks heading into his junior season. Thieneman comes off a standout sophomore season with the Boilermakers, leading all Big Ten defensive backs with 104 tackles and tallying seven pass breakups.

Thieneman said it’s a balance between proving himself to his peers while also stepping up as a leader.

“In the spring, I feel like I got a lot closer with the guys. There’s like that completion there,” Thieneman said. “And what we need to do with the leadership stuff.”

Fellow defensive back Jadon Canady said during media day that him and Thieneman have spent a lot of time together since arriving to Eugene, helping mentor some of the younger players in the secondary.

Developing Team Chemistry

Oregon’s defense played a key role in its 13-1 finish in 2024. The Ducks lost a handful of defensive starters from last season, however.

“I feel like chemistry has been really good,” Thieneman said. “I feel like we’re kind of chill with each other and we’ll be a lot closer in fall camp.”

Coach Dan Lanning added several prominent defensive players from the transfer portal, including the star safety. Ole Miss transfer Jadon Canady and Northwestern transfer Theran Johnson also joined the Oregon secondary.

Thieneman heads into the fall as the highest-ranked Oregon player by Pro Football Focus (PFF), ranking No. 25 in the preseason. He starred as a freshman at Purdue, earning an 89.5 overall PFF grade.

“In this scheme it’s very important to be very vocal and communicate with the linebackers and the corners,” Thieneman said. “You have to have that knowledge and communication, anticipation.”

Lanning has repeated to the media throughout the past week that 2025 theme is double down. Even though Thieneman wasn’t a part of the 2024 Oregon team’s success, he comes in equally motivated to build off the Ducks’ process from previous years.

“Embrace the change,” Thieneman said. “Know that things are going to be a little different, but I’m in a new place and I’m ready to get out to the field and show what I can do. I know I got two years behind me, but I still got a lot more that I need to do.”

Thieneman is set to take the field for his first official game with the Ducks against Montana State on Aug. 30.