Oregon defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei (10) during a 2024 game against Michigan State. Uiagalelei, as well as transfer safety Dillon Thieneman, were named preseason honorees by the Big Ten Conference. CMG Photo: Jaime Valdez

Two Oregon football players, Matayo Uiagalelei and Dillon Thieneman, earned a place on the Big Ten’s 2025 preseason honors list Tuesday.

The list features 15 players and represents seven of the Big Ten’s 18 football programs. It serves in place of a traditional preseason all-conference roster, the status quo for most college football conferences. Select media members voted on the 15 players, with Penn State and Ohio State leading the way with three representatives each. Oregon’s two nominees tied for the second-most featured, alongside Indiana, Iowa and Illinois.

Both Uiagalelei, a defensive lineman, and Thieneman, a safety, play on the defensive side of the ball for the Ducks.

Uiagalelei is heading into his junior season at Oregon after a stellar sophomore campaign.

The former five-star recruit led not just Oregon’s defense with 9.5 sacks in the regular season. In total, Uiagalelei logged 37 tackles — 11.5 of which were for a loss — forced two fumbles, recorded an interception and blocked a kick. He was named a 2025 All-Big Ten first-team honoree by the media and earned a second-team nod from the conference’s coaches for the performance.

Along with his nomination by the conference’s media, Uiagalelei was chosen by the Oregon coaching staff to represent the Ducks at the Big Ten’s media days in Las Vegas. Uiagalelei, as well as head coach Dan Lanning, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and linebacker Bryce Boettcher, are all scheduled to speak at Big Ten Media Day on Wednesday, July 23.

Thieneman will be entering his first season as an Oregon Duck in 2025, but is no stranger to the Big Ten Conference.

Prior to his transfer to Eugene, Thieneman was a two-year standout for the Purdue Boilermakers. As a sophomore in 2024, Thieneman led the Big Ten’s defensive backs with 104 tackles and has recorded 100 or more stops in each of his first two seasons of college football. While his ball-production dipped as a sophomore, Thieneman recorded six interceptions as a freshman and was named freshman all-American by the Associated Press.

Thieneman, Uiagalelei and the rest of the Oregon roster will be back in action for the first time in 2025 when the Ducks take on FCS Montana State on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Autzen Stadium.

2025 Big Ten Football Preseason Honors

Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois

Gabe Jacas, OLB, Illinois

Mikail Kamara, DL, Indiana

D’Angelo Ponds, DB, Indiana

Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa

Logan Jones, C, Iowa

Koi Perich, DB, Minnesota

Matayo Uiagalelei, OLB, Oregon

Dillon Thieneman, DB, Oregon

Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE, Penn State

Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State