Dillon Thieneman couldn’t have been asked to do more in his first season at Purdue. He was first among the nation’s freshmen in interceptions and tackles, and played the most snaps on the Boilermakers’ defense, yet his team struggled to stop anyone and won only four games.
Purdue’s prospects for this season are no brighter. The Boilermakers are picked last in the 18-team Big Ten.
That puts Thieneman at the top of this year’s list of great players on teams likely to struggle.
Thieneman acknowledged he feels a little bit of pressure to meet or exceed last year’s accomplishments. He was the Associated Press Big Ten newcomer of the year and named to multiple outlets’ freshman All-America teams, and he comes into this season on watch lists for national defensive awards.
“I put way more pressure on myself, so I’m kind of used to it at this point,” he said. “I’m very appreciative of the preseason accolades. It doesn’t mean anything yet.”
Thieneman had six of Purdue’s 10 interceptions, made 106 tackles, led the Big Ten with 74 solo stops and forced two fumbles.
The Boilermakers will be in their second season under Ryan Walters, a defensive specialist who installed a 3-3-5 base alignment. Purdue allowed opponents to complete just 54% of its passes but was vulnerable to the big play.
Thieneman said one of his priorities is to become a more vocal leader.
“I want to help my teammates out any way I can,” he said, “whether it’s watching more film with them, working with them, just being more of a leader on the defense and getting us connected.”
QB Donovan Smith, Houston
Smith had a productive first season with the Cougars after transferring from Texas Tech, but it didn’t show up in the win column. Houston managed only four wins, two in the Big 12, and is picked 15th in the 16-team conference.
He completed 64.5% of his passes for 2,801 yards and 22 touchdowns, ran for 428 yards and six scores and has generated some NFL draft buzz in the offseason. But he was picked off 13 times, and his 3.3% interception rate was fourth-highest among quarterbacks with at least 350 pass attempts, according to SportRadar.
DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
The “Godfather,” as he’s called, was hospitalized with blood clots in June and was limited during early preseason practices. Picked 14th in the Big 12, the Bearcats’ defense would take a big hit if one of the nation’s top nose tackles is unavailable.
Pro Football Focus ranked Corleone as the Big 12’s third-rated interior defensive linemen after he finished with 39 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
WR Montorie Foster Jr., Michigan State
QB Aidan Chiles followed coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to East Lansing, and that should make conditions right for Foster to break out for a Spartans team picked near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Foster caught 43 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns in a mediocre offense last year. Smith and coordinator Brian Lindgren’s pro-style system, with Chiles running it, immediately upgrades the passing game and was a big reason Foster returned for a fifth year.
WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
Ayomanor’s big-play ability has been masked because he plays for a team that has had three straight three-win seasons and is picked last in its first season in the 17-team ACC.
He was the Cardinal’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2018, and four of his six touchdown catches were at least 40 yards. He was especially hot the second half of last season with 806 yards over the last seven games. He set the school record for receiving yards in a game with 294 against Colorado.
DL Landon Jackson, Arkansas
The Razorbacks haven’t been a factor in the SEC race over the last decade, but NFL scouts will be flocking to Fayetteville to see the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder. Jackson has been a force since transferring from LSU two years ago. He earned SEC honors last season after leading Arkansas with 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss and making a career-best 44 tackles.
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