Dillon Thieneman, Purdue safety, highlighted on college football 'Freaks List'

Westfield High School product excelled in debut season with Boilermakers

Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports | Aug 7, 2024

Syracuse Orange LeQuint Allen Jr. (1) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Syracuse Orange won 35-20. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

College football writer Bruce Feldman's annual "Freaks List" has become an annual preseason tradition and this year's edition includes Purdue sophomore safety Dillon Thieneman.

Thieneman, a 3-star recruit from Westfield High School, was rated by 247Sports as the No. 12 prospect in Indiana in the Class of 2023 and the No. 61 safety nationally. But the former Shamrocks standout exceeded expectations in his debut season with the Boilermakers, where older brothers Jake and Brennan also both played safety.

The No. 96 player on Feldman's 'Freaks List,' Thieneman started in all 12 games as a freshman, led Purdue with 106 tackles and ranked third nationally in interceptions (six) and solo tackles (74). He earned an impressive list of accolades, including winning the Thompson-Randle El Big Ten Freshman of the Year and FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year, along with being named second-team All-Big Ten (Coaches, Associated Press) and third-team All-America (AP).

Thieneman earned his spot on the 'Freaks List' with a remarkable physical transformation since arriving on campus 18 months ago, including packing on 11 pounds of muscle. The 6-foot safety now weighs 207 pounds – he was listed at 205 as a freshman – and has improved his speed and strength.

Now he is poised to be even more impactful for Purdue this fall as a sophomore, though it will be tough to exceed his stats from his freshman campaign.

Read the article from The Athletic: College football Freaks List 2024

Watch Indiana high school sports on the NFHS Network

Want to watch your favorite team live in action? You can watch several Indiana high school football games each week live on the NFHS Network: Watch live on the NFHS Network

Download the SBLive Sports app

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

Follow Indiana high school sports coverage on High School on SI

- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com

Published Aug 7, 2024

NATE LATSCH, SBLIVE SPORTS

Nate Latsch is a Regional Editor at SBLive Sports overseeing high school coverage for Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A veteran sportswriter and multimedia content creator, Latsch has covered high school sports in the St. Louis area and Missouri for 20 years, with a focus on high school football, basketball, baseball and football and basketball recruiting. He has worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLhighschoolsports.com, the Associated Press, FOX Sports Midwest, MLB.com and Scout.com. In addition to covering high school sports, Latsch has covered youth, college and professional sports, including covering the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams, the University of Missouri and Saint Louis University.