Only two Oregon Ducks make college football’s Top-50 player rankings

The 2025 Oregon Ducks will have a lot of proven talent on the field, but much of that talent hasn't been proven for the Ducks.

Yet.

Dan Lanning and his staff appear to have hit the proverbial home run with several incoming transfers for this year's team, and one of them, safety Dillon Thieneman, is receiving the most attention, and deservedly so. After an outstanding freshman season at Purdue, where he had six interceptions.

Although his stats went down in his sophomore season, much of that wasn't his fault. Thieneman was on a team, and the talent around him just wasn't there. But at Oregon, that will change in a big way, and everyone expects Thieneman to shine once again.

According to the analytical site PFF.com, Thieneman will return to form and be one of the best free safeties out there and ranks him as the 25th best player of the college football season.

"(Thieneman's) 89.4 PFF overall grade since 2023 still ranks fourth among returning FBS safeties, and he owns 80.0-plus PFF grades in coverage and run defense in that span," said PFF. "Thieneman is arguably the best center fielder and one of the top athletes in college football. Dan Lanning should have a lot of fun incorporating his range into Oregon's defense."

On the offensive side of the football, the Ducks needed to find someone to take the load that was shouldered by running back Jordan James. Lanning peered into the portal once again and found former Tulane performer Makhi Hughes. Coming in at No. 37, PFF says Hughes will get the yards out of the backfield, but if he truly wants to shine as a Duck, his receiving will need some improvement.

"Hughes' 2,776 rushing yards since 2023 are the most of any returning FBS running back by 476 yards. His 92.2 career PFF overall grade ranks second only to Jonah Coleman among returning FBS players at the position," PFF said. "He doesn’t add much as a receiver (247 career receiving yards) and will need to prove he can sustain his dominance in the Big Ten, but there’s no denying Hughes is one of the best tailbacks in college football."

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks place only two on preseason top-50 players list