Oregon
Oregon Ducks’ Dillon Thieneman Ranked Among Best Defensive Backs in College Football
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.
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
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
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
Oregon
Gary Danielson talks Indiana football vs. Oregon rematch: ‘They seemed to not take IU seriously’
Gary Danielson just retired from calling college football games for decades, including this season’s Indiana at Oregon matchup on Oct. 11.
The Hoosiers (14-0) handed the then-No. 3 Ducks their only loss, 30-20, on the way to the nation’s No. 1 ranking heading into their Peach Bowl game Friday.
Danielson, who played quarterback at Purdue from 1970-72 before an 11-year NFL career, believes Oregon will be more focused for this game.
Remember IU’s historic season with this commemorative book!
The Ducks came into the matchup off an idle week after a double-overtime win over then-No. 3 Penn State at State College, Pennsylvania. Danielson sensed they were still basking in the glow of that win.
“I think Oregon will be very focused for this football game,” he said Monday on the “Dan Patrick Show.” “When Indiana beat them in Oregon, which is a tough place to play, Oregon was coming off their celebration for beating Penn State. Honestly, when we did our interviews, I was struck that they couldn’t get off the Penn State story. … They seemed to not take IU seriously. They’ll take them seriously for this game.”
Though IU made the College Football Playoff last season, some believed the Hoosiers were a one-year wonder, Danielson said.
“They were considered a fraud from their 2024 finish,” he said. “They weren’t frauds, but they weren’t ready for the big-time stage yet. I thought they were focused this year,” especially on defense.
The Hoosiers lost at Notre Dame in the first-round of last season’s CFP.
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PULLMAN, Wash. — Aaron Glass ‘ 16 points helped Washington State defeat Oregon State 81-67 on Sunday.
Glass went 7 of 15 from the field (1 for 7 from 3-point range) for the Cougars (8-9, 3-1 West Coast Conference). ND Okafor scored 13 points, shooting 6 of 8 from the field. Jerone Morton shot 5 for 8, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points.
Dez White led the Beavers (8-9, 1-3) in scoring, finishing with 16 points and three steals. Oregon State also got 11 points from Isaiah Sy. Yaak Yaak finished with nine points.
Washington State took the lead for good 21 seconds into the game and it was 47-33 at halftime, with Glass racking up 11 points. Washington State pulled away with a 10-3 run in the second half to extend a 14-point lead to 21 points. The Cougars closed out the victory over Oregon State from there, as Morton led the way with a team-high seven second-half points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Planned increases to Oregon’s gas tax, DMV fees, and payroll tax are on hold after a petition garnered enough signatures to challenge parts of a recent transportation funding bill.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s office confirmed that the petition, led by the group No Tax Oregon, will place the issue on the November ballot.
The group, spearheaded by Republican legislators Sen. Bruce Starr and Rep. Ed Diehl, launched the campaign following Gov. Tina Kotek’s approval of the bill last November.
On Dec. 12, No Tax Oregon submitted over 190,000 signatures to the Secretary of State.
The delay raises questions about the impact on the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and transportation funding.
On this week’s segment of Your Voice, Your Vote, KATU’s Angelica Thornton interviewed Rep. Ed Diehl and Rep. Susan McLain, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, to discuss the implications of the referendum.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (4)
Watch the full Your Voice, Your Vote segment below or on KATU’s YouTube channel:
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