Oregon Ducks Defensive Back Dillon Thieneman Reveals Transfer Decision And Discusses Work Ethic

Oregon Ducks On SI

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00:00You've got some pretty glowing reviews so far from coaches

00:07and teammates, mostly when it comes to your work ethic.

00:09Where does that work ethic come from,

00:11and what does it really mean to you?

00:14I think it's just established, like, in my family,

00:17like, seeing my brothers, like, how they did things,

00:19how my parents did things.

00:21And I also have a goal in mine,

00:23so I want to do everything I can, like, in the moment,

00:26in the now to reach where I want to be.

00:27Front left, James.

00:30Dylan, can you go into the decision to first leave Purdue in the first place,

00:34which I understand because of your family connections,

00:35could not have been an easy decision, even with the coaching change.

00:38And then ultimately, why here once you did choose to move on?

00:42Yeah, no, it was definitely a very difficult decision

00:45that I had to talk to my family for a long time about.

00:49But we found it in my best interest to leave

00:53and find where I could get proper coaching, proper development,

00:57where I could go against some of the best competition in the country.

01:02And then found, like, Coach Lanning and the staff,

01:05how they develop guys, what their system is,

01:07how their system is related to the NFL type of guys we're going against,

01:11like, speed coaches, like Coach Bolt, Coach Love, like, all of them.

01:14And I just settled in this place.

01:16We're right here on the left.

01:18Dylan, let's bounce a little bit off that,

01:20but what have you learned in your second kind of program here

01:23about the culture,

01:24and how is that a little bit different from what you had at Purdue,

01:26and how is it similar?

01:29I'd say there's different ways of doing things,

01:32and teams definitely connect to different ways.

01:36Like, some teams, there's, like, the cliques of the guys

01:38where, like, only certain, like, guys maybe in the same room hang out.

01:42There's other teams where no one really hangs out.

01:44There's teams where everyone hangs out.

01:45So, it's just finding that dynamic, trying to get acquainted to the guys,

01:50like, be friends with them and stuff.

01:53But, I mean, it's a learning process, so I'm still learning since being here.

01:59Back right, Brett?

02:00Dylan, obviously, you had a fantastic season last year at Purdue,

02:03but what's it just been like kind of over these last couple of practices

02:06and scrimmages, you know, facing off against the office,

02:08kind of getting used to the culture, the environment,

02:10and how has it been, like, just getting adjusted over these last several

02:13couple of practices?

02:15Yeah, so, I mean, still just trying to adapt to the defense.

02:18Like, defense is a lot different than the last place I was at.

02:23So, a lot of different reads.

02:25Playing, it's almost like a whole different position

02:28from where I was originally aligned, but new coverage is played.

02:32So, I'm still just trying to get used to that, play against the offense,

02:34trying to get better and better used to it.

02:36Back left, Matt?

02:36You mentioned the development of coming here.

02:40How much did the fact that they've had a long-standing history of transfer guys,

02:45especially at your position group, the defensive back,

02:47coming in here and excelling right away,

02:49how much of a factor was that in your decision to come here?

02:53It was definitely a big factor in that.

02:55I saw that Oregon's really good at taking in transfers

02:59and developing them and transitioning them to the next level.

03:02And, I mean, this defense, it kind of sets you up for that level

03:07because, like, we play all types of coverages.

03:10Like, we do all types of things that you'll see at the next level.

03:13Front left, James.

03:15What's your process for developing that chemistry

03:17with particularly the other deep safeties,

03:18whether it's Peyton, Aaron, Kingston specifically,

03:21and then also the guys at Nickel with Jaden and Dayland?

03:23Just what does that process look like for you

03:25these first couple of weeks of spring?

03:26Say, just hanging out, talking to them, getting to know them,

03:30both on and off the field, like, picking their mind about football stuff,

03:35picking their mind about stuff, like, outside of football

03:37so it's not just focused about, like, stuff in the building

03:42but also, like, stuff outside.

03:44All right, Zach.

03:46I'd imagine for someone who spends as much time as you do

03:48in the facilities that come into Oregon

03:50is kind of like being a kid in a candy shop.

03:52Has it kind of met those expectations so far for you?

03:55Yeah, yeah, no, it's that we met those expectations.

03:58Can I go in the back, Aaron?

04:04Just all spring, the coaches and players have talked about, you know,

04:07the lack of experience but also the surplus in talent

04:11that this team has.

04:13Being a player with a little bit more experience

04:14than some of the other guys in your room

04:16but being a new player to this program,

04:18how have you kind of attacked that while being a veteran

04:21with a lot of experience but also still being a transfer

04:24and someone who is also still trying to learn the scheme

04:27and the system and the environment around you?

04:32I feel like I kind of had to, like, earn my spot on the team.

04:35I mean, I'm still going through that, still doing that.

04:37So I'm trying to talk to the other guys.

04:40I ask them questions about the scheme.

04:42Like, what would you play in this?

04:43Like, how do you see this?

04:44And then giving them some of my insight about, like, how games go,

04:49like, what type of things you can see from the offense

04:51and, like, what I can give them and what they can help me with.

04:57Yeah, just building off that, you know, you're obviously –

05:01you're learning a new system and trying to earn guys' trust here.

05:04But also, given your resume, a lot of younger guys in that room

05:06probably already look up to you for leadership and advice.

05:09How do you kind of balance those things where, you know,

05:12there are younger guys in that room that are looking up to you for advice

05:15while you're also trying to, you know, earn your keep?

05:20I'll say just – I'm just trying to help them out however I can.

05:24I feel like they see the way how I, like, react and how I do things.

05:30So if they got questions, like, they come and ask me

05:32and I'll talk to them about it.

05:34I'll ask them questions, too, about, like, what they're seeing,

05:38and, like, stuff that's going on with them.

05:40So it's kind of like a two-way street.

05:43I feel like spring ball, everyone's still same level.

05:46Like, there's no ones, there's no twos.

05:48It's like there's green and gold.

05:51Back left, Matt.

05:54Drown a lot of praise for your play on the field,

05:56but a lot of coaches and players have also talked about your commitment off it

06:00in terms of film room or weight room or whatever when people aren't looking.

06:04Where does that come from?

06:05Where did you find that desire to just always be the grind of football?

06:13I mean, growing up, I've always loved football

06:16and seeing my brothers go through the whole process of what they had to go through.

06:21Like, they walked on.

06:22They earned their spot.

06:24It's like they had to work hard.

06:26They had to do more than what other people were doing

06:29to earn their way up, to earn their spot.

06:33So I kind of saw that.

06:34I took that in.

06:35I was like, I want to work just as hard, if not harder, than them

06:38so that it can set me up to do the things I want to do.

06:42All right, Zach.

06:43Here's your early impression of the quarterbacks, Dante and Austin,

06:46considering that you go up against them every day.

06:48I'd say they're both very good.

06:53I mean, I love going up against them.

06:58Yeah, there's not much more I can really say about that.

07:02Last question, James.

07:04As you've gone about learning this defense, the calls, et cetera,

07:07and probably reviewing tape of it from last season,

07:09did you look at more of Kobe or Taishim, one more than the other necessarily?

07:13Because they both did a lot of box work like you did.

07:15They both did a lot of free safety work like you did.

07:17I know one stood out more than the other in terms of just what they were asked to do

07:21and what they're planning to ask you to do.

07:24So right now I'm still trying to learn both positions.

07:27So they were like some games, like Taishim would be field safety

07:32and Kobe would be boundary safety and other games will switch.

07:35So I was kind of looking at both points, seeing how they play, how they react.

07:41Taishim had been in the system for two years,

07:44but he had another like kind of position change.

07:46He was playing star two years ago.

07:48Last year he was playing more safety and then Kobe coming in first year.

07:53So I was just seeing how they react to the calls,

07:56react to the offense in certain situations.

07:58So I was making a pic to the little bit better.

08:00I was just like a the little bit too.

08:02So again, you have a равanélioration to morph or something.

08:04That little bit of a man on a way there,

08:05and the same situation as young as young.

08:07But I'm not sure if some people don't have a problem.

08:07So either you have the hope that this means hopefully

08:08or you don't have Q2 in those positions,

08:09but that's what they're doing.

08:10So this is when you go to the recess and get into it 1st hour.

08:12OK.

08:12So in case I have that little bit like a half of痛 niveau of this is

08:16that's a goal,

08:18I made that little bit of a Turkey.

08:20I'll keep that little bit of opportunity

08:21but this was something.

08:22Yeah so I wanted that little bit of like a little bit of a little bit,

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