Oregon

Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman named a college football Top 50 player

Published

7 months ago

June 29, 2025

Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman named a college football Top 50 player

Assuming everything goes as planned, Oregon coach Dan Lanning appears to have hit a home run in the transfer portal at the exact right time he needed for his defense.

In the USA TODAY Top 50 players for this upcoming college football season, Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman comes in at No. 26 although he hasn’t played an official down for the Ducks yet.

But he does have an impressive resume.

In his first season at Purdue, Thieneman had six interceptions and totaled 210 tackles in his first two seasons in West Lafayette. He should be a perfect fit for the back end of Lanning’s defensive unit and according to writer Matt Zemek, the timing of Thieneman’s arrival couldn’t have been better.

“Oregon’s outlook for the 2025 season begins with a basic point about the Ducks’ offense. Though Dillon Thieneman is not a member of the Ducks’ offensive unit, he — and everyone else inside the program — knows that the biggest question mark surrounding the team is the quarterback, Dante Moore,” he said.

“If Moore is the real meal deal, everything should come together for this team. However, what if Moore is not a rock star? Then the Ducks would have to make sure their defense can rock and roll and do the heavy lifting for the 2025 roster. Thieneman will have to be good for Oregon to do well in 2025. The thing is, he might have to be great — maybe even spectacular — if Moore does not deliver a first-rate performance under center.”

Oregon will enter the season with the assumption that Moore will be the full meal deal the Ducks are looking for. Let’s face it. Lanning wouldn’t have worked as hard as he did to get Moore back into the fold after a subpar freshman season at UCLA. The talent is obviously there, as he was the top quarterback in the Class of 2023. But the environment was all wrong for the Detroit native.

It is nice to have a dominating defense to fall back on just in case the offense doesn’t gel as quickly as expected. With Thieneman patrolling the secondary, he provides an awfully soft cushion and lightens the load, knowing he’s back there for support. By the time the season goes into the month of November, both units should be rolling, making the Ducks a huge threat in the playoffs.

Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.

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Oregon

Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

Auburn’s quarterback room gained another piece out of the transfer portal on Sunday, and is now up to four scholarship players.

The latest signee is Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti’a, a source confirmed to AL.com. He comes to Auburn after spending one season with the Beavers, and will likely fill the backup quarterback role at Auburn behind Byrum Brown.

Ti’a was a backup during his freshman season at Oregon State, playing in three games. In that time, he completed 37 of his 53 passes for 385 yards with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

He’s the third and likely final transfer quarterback to sign with Auburn since the portal opened on Jan. 2, joining Brown and former USF third-string quarterback Locklan Hewlett. Incoming freshman Rhys Brush will also be in the quarterback room next season.

With Ti’a signing, Auburn is now up to 22 incoming transfers. The portal will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.

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Oregon

Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

Published

18 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

Oregon is losing a second edge defender to transfer.

Blake Purchase will enter the transfer portal, he announced via X. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

“I want to start by thanking God for this journey and everything that has come with it,” Purchase told DenverSportsMedia.com. “Thank you to my family for the continued love and support they have given me. I’m forever grateful for these past three seasons at the University of Oregon. The lessons l’ve learned here will stay with me for a lifetime. Thank you to all the coaches who poured into me and helped me grow as both a person and a player. And to my teammates – the bonds we built are forever. You are my brothers for life.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Purchase had 32 tackles (4.5 for loss) with two sacks, one interception and one pass breakup this season. His 352 snaps on defense ranked 14th for UO this season.

Purchase had two tackles while redshirting last season and five tackles as a true freshman in 2023.

A four-star recruit out of Cherry Creek (Colorado) High School, Purchase was the No. 294 overall prospect and No. 34 edge defender in the class of 2023 in the 247Sports Composite.

Purchase will be the sixteenth scholarship player to transfer from UO this offseason, joining defensive backs Jahlil Florence, Dakoda Fields, Solomon Davis, Sione Laulea, Kingston Lopa and Daylen Austin, receivers Justius Lowe and Kyler Kasper, quarterbacks Austin Novosad and Luke Moga, offensive lineman Lipe Moala and running backs Jay Harris, Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar. Oregon has 79 projected scholarship players in 2026.

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Oregon

Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

Despite a strong start and competitive effort for much of the night, Oregon State men’s basketball fell apart down the stretch of a 82-76 loss to University of Portland on Saturday night at Chiles Center.

A corner three-pointer by Mikah Ballew buried the Beavers (9-10, 2-4 WCC), putting Portland up 78-70 with just 1:10 remaining.

The Pilots (9-10, 2-4 WCC) had four players in double figures: Cameron Williams with 23, Jermaine Webb Balsinger and Joel Foxwell with 18 apiece, and Ballew with 16.

The Beavers were led by Olavi Suutela with 19 points and Johan Munch with 14. Dez White, Josiah Lake II and Yaak Yaak each had 10, and OSU out-shot the Pilots — 47% to 43% — but untimely turnovers and missed shots hurt them in the second half.

OSU came out hot, taking a 18-8 lead early in the first half including 12 points from Suutela. It got up to 24-15 before the Pilots mounted a response.

Turnovers and miscommunication by the Beavers on offense led to a 8-0 run by Portland. OSU clung to its lead for a while, but Portland took its first at 31-30 late in the first half.

The Pilots carried a 39-38 lead into the break.

Coming out of the half, after some back and forth, the Beavers went on an 11-1 run — fueled by the scoring and defensive effort of Suutela, and inside play of Noah Amenhauser — to take a 54-45 advantage at the 13:11 mark.

Turnovers reared their ugly head once again for the Beavers, though, and a pair of jumpers by Joel Foxwell cut the OSU lead down to 56-53.

Portland retook the lead, 57-56, with 10 minutes remaining. With an increased energy on both ends of the floor and OSU missing open shots, the Pilots led 66-63 with six minutes remaining and never relinquished it.

Portland’s defense smothered OSU in the halfcourt, and Wayne Tinkle’s side couldn’t find an easy basket, settling often for one-on-one opportunities rather than consistent and meaningful ball movement. Portland led, 71-68, with 3:19 to go.

Trailing by nine, Lake II hit a three-pointer to cut it to six with five seconds left. Too little, too late for the Beavers as they slipped back below .500.

Next game: Oregon State (9-10, 2-4 WCC) vs. LMU (11-7, 2-3 WCC)