Oregon bolsters their roster of the future with big time transfer portal additions ahead of CFP run

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning made comments following National Signing Day that Oregon was targeting quality over quantity, as evidenced by the fact that the Oregon Ducks landed the highest percentage of blue chip recruits in the country.That trend appears to be continuing in the early part of the transfer portal window. Lanning and […]

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Dillon Thieneman
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Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning made comments following National Signing Day that Oregon was targeting quality over quantity, as evidenced by the fact that the Oregon Ducks landed the highest percentage of blue chip recruits in the country.

That trend appears to be continuing in the early part of the transfer portal window. Lanning and the Ducks have landed two transfers, both of whom profile as instant impact players on the defense in cornerback Theran Johnson and safety Dillon Thieneman.

Let's get to the know the two Ducks that we'll see anchoring the defense in 2025.

Theran Johnson, the No. 3 cornerback in the portal that previously played at Northwester, had a breakout season in 2024, notching 40 solo tackles, ten passes defended, and two interceptions. He'll join the Ducks as a redshirt Senior. After earning second-team All-Big Ten honors, he'll hope to continue the Oregon trend of transfer portal corners coming to Oregon before heading to the NFL. 

Dillon Thieneman, the No. 1 safety in the transfer portal, previously played at Purdue. He's a highly-productive and built safety that has played a majority of his snaps at free safety, and, As a sophomore, led all Big Ten defensive backs with 104 tackles, broke up seven passes, and handled punt return duties for the Boilermakers.

The two additions to the defense will bring in veteran experience and great athletic and production upside to an Oregon defense as they will turn their eyes to their second season in the Big Ten whenever this year's College Football Playoffs journey comes to a close, hopefully with some more hardware.

Oregon still has plenty of work to do in the transfer portal, particularly in the trenches. Lanning and Co. will look to continue to build the roster for next season.

Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.