Oregon Ducks Hosting No. 1 Ranked Transfer Portal Safety Dillon Thieneman

With the 2024 regular season over college football, and the NCAA Transfer Portal open, the mad dash to pick up the best athletes is underway. Right now, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks are a visiting stop for the portals’ suspected No. 1 safety on the market.

Dillon Thieneman of the Purdue Boilermakers plans to visit coach Dan Lanning's Ducks, who have reportedly expressed high interest in the Indiana native. Thieneman is also planning to visit the Ohio state Buckeyes. The timeline for the visits to Oregon and Ohio State are within the next week, according to On3. He’s also received interest from LSU, Penn State, Georgia, and Texas.

“It feels like every major program in the country has reached out,” Thieneman’s older brother Jake said to On3.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jay Harris (22) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

A current sophomore, Thieneman, finished with 210 total tackles, six interceptions, and 14 pass breakups this year. Pair that with 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and two forced fumbles. The previous year, he was a second team All Big Ten Conference selection with six interceptions and 106 tackles.

According to 247 Sports, Thieneman is the No. 1 safety in the transfer portal currently. Right now, he shapes up to No. 36 overall on 247’s transfer portal ranking list. Thieneman entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, December 4th.

Thieneman’s announcement of entering the portal is coupled with the Boilermakers firing their former head coach Ryan Walters last week. This year, Walters was winless in Big Ten Conference play, and was shutout by Oregon at home 35-0. Purdue went 1-11 during their 2024 regular season. Walters’ record in two years with the Boilermakers is 5-19.

Michigan State's Nathan Carter, right, runs for a gain as Purdue's Dillon Thieneman closes in during the second quarter on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When a head coach is fired from a program, every athlete automatically is offered a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal, to which 10 of Purdue’s scholarship athletes have taken the opportunity, including Thieneman.

Thieneman is currently listed as a four-star recruit, but was a three-star in high school according to On3. Based on those metrics, he was the 13th best player for the 2023 class out of the state of Indiana.

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The transfer portal officially opened up Monday, December 9th. Last year, nearly 3,000 athletes entered their names into the portal, but roughly 2,707 remained after withdrawals. Though it seems Thieneman will have his pick of preferred programs, it’s interesting to note that not every athlete finds a new home out of the transfer portal.

With over 30 seniors set to leave the program after the 2024 season, Oregon is looking to plug up some holes, and recruiting transfers like Thieneman will help with just that. Thieneman has already proved himself to be a reliable asset to the Boilermakers’ defense, unlike high school recruits that haven’t hit the big stage of the college level. With heavy producers Kobe Savage and Tysheem Johnson playing their final years in the safety role, potentially Thieneman will make a smooth transition if he selects Oregon.

The Oregon Ducks play in the Rose Bowl on January 1st, 2025 against a soon-to-be-determined opponent for their current run in the College Football Playoff.

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