Dan Lanning praised Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman before the transfer

The Oregon Ducks received their first addition to the transfer portal on Saturday afternoon, getting a commitment from former Purdue Boilermakers star Dillon Thieneman.

As a true sophomore, Thieneman established himself in 2024 with Purdue, posting another 100-plus tackle season and developing into one of the best defensive backs in the country. Through two seasons, Thieneman has totaled 210 tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack and six interceptions.

When he announced earlier this week that he would be entering the transfer portal, Thieneman became one of the most popular names on the market, rated as the best safety available on the portal. Both Oregon ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes they were after him, among many others, but it was Dan Lanning who finally managed to land him.

It makes sense that Lanning wanted him, too, based on the glowing review he’s given the Purdue safety in the past.

Earlier this season, Oregon traveled to West Lafayette to take on the Boilermakers, and here’s what Lanning had to say about Thieneman then:

“I mean, obviously, 31 is a guy who can play from sideline to sideline.” Lanning said. “He plays his safety a little deeper than some teams traditionally, which allows him to really play, almost as a flat-footed read player who can see the ball and react to the ball. And he’s a really talented player who does a great job of that and gets around the ball consistently.”

It was clear then that Lanning had a lot of respect for the safety, and it makes sense now that Oregon wanted him badly and was probably excited to see him enter the portal earlier this week.

Now, Thieneman comes to Eugene hoping to continue the line of highly talented safety transfers to find great success with the Ducks. Before him, we saw the likes of Tysheem Johnson, Evan Williams, Kobe Savage, and Brandon Johnson all make a major impact on defense.