Share

Dillon Thieneman turned himself from a three-star local recruit at Purdue into a top NFL draft prospect at Oregon in a matter of three years.

Here’s what you need to know about Dillon Thieneman’s college career.

The vitals on Dillon Thieneman

School: Purdue/Oregon
Position: Safety
Height: 6-0
Weight: 201 pounds
Years active: 2023-25

Here are Dillon Thieneman’s career stats from college:

Year
Games
Solo tackles
Assisted tack.
Total
TFL
Sacks
INT
PD
FF

2023
(Purdue)
12
74
32
106
2
0
6
8
2

2024
(Purdue)
12
70
34
104
4.5
1
0
7
0

2025
(Oregon)
15
43
43
86
3.5
1
2
7
0

Career
39
187
109
296
10
2
8
14
2

Where did Dillon Thieneman go to college?

Dillon Thieneman a native of Westfield, Indiana, attended Purdue out of high school. Per 247Sports, Thieneman signed with Purdue over offers that included Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern and more. After two seasons at Purdue, Thieneman transferred to Oregon in 2025.

What kind of prospect was Dillon Thieneman in high school?

Dillon Thieneman was three-star recruit out of Westfield High School, ranking as high as the No. 61 safety in the class of 2023 and the No. 12 player in Indiana, depending on the recruiting service.

He finished his high school career with a total of 246 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Thieneman also led Westfield to two runner-up finishes for the state title as he earned First Team All-Conference nods three times. In 2022 he was named the Indiana Football Coaches Association Mr. Football and a part of the IFCA All-State Top 50 team.

What was Dillon Thieneman’s record in college?

Dillon Thieneman played in every game during his college career, finishing with a combined 18-21 record across two schools, never having a winning season at Purdue. After transferring to Oregon as a junior, Thieneman helped lead the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Records set by Dillon Thieneman

Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Dillon Thieneman in college:

1st in Big Ten history to earn a weekly award five times in a single-season on defense (Freshman of the Week)
1st in Purdue in freshman interceptions (6)
1st in Purdue in freshman solo tackles (74)

Which awards did Dillon Thieneman win in college?

Here are the awards and honors Dillon Thieneman won in college:

Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist (2025)
Second Team All-American by AP, Sporting News, Walter Camp (2025)
First Team All-Big Ten (2025)
First Team CSC Academic All-American (2025)
Academic All-Big Ten (2025)
Honorable mention All-Big Ten (2024)
Academic All-Big Ten (2024)
Third Team All-American by AP (2023) 
Third Team All-American by Phil Steele (2023) 
FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year (2023)
Thompson-Randle El Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2023)
247Sports True Freshman of the Year (2023)
Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by USA TODAY (2023)
First team Freshman All-American by The Athletic and247Sports (2023)
Second Team All-Big Ten by Coaches and AP (2023)
Third Team All-Big Ten by Media (2023)
PFF All-Big Ten Team (2023)
Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year Award finalist (2023)

See more Dillon Thieneman highlights below

Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as a college football, FCS football, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the College Football Playoff and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl, MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.

College basketball teams with the most WNBA first round draft picks

UConn leads all women’s college basketball programs with 29 players taken in the first round of the WNBA draft.

READ MORE

4 of the biggest college softball rivalries heading into conference play

Check out the rivalries to keep track of heading into conference play in softball.

READ MORE

Texas Tech tops the preseason Power 10 softball rankings for 2026

With the 2026 college softball season just around the corner, check out who made Michella Chester’s rankings in the preseason Power 10.

READ MORE