Checking in with the Oregon Ducks safety room ahead of the 2025 season
The Ducks are coming off of an incredible season that saw a 12-0 regular season, a Big Ten Championship, and the No. 1 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The offseason brought significant roster turnover as Oregon sent a program record 10 players into the 2025 NFL draft; however, those players have been replaced by a young yet incredibly talented group of players ready to uphold the standard in Eugene.
Will they be able to complete the job? Expectations are high, but it won't be an easy task.
Over the next few weeks, many questions will be asked, and a significant number of them will be answered. Once we get a look at things during fall camp, we will be able to predict more accurately how things shape up. However, we already have our depth chart projections for offense and defense from spring. As we continue our preview of the 2025 season, leading up to the kick-off vs. Montana State on August 30, let's take a deep dive, position by position.
Previous Position Previews
Now let's take a closer look at the cornerbacks as we prepare for fall camp.
Overall Oregon Ducks Safety Check-In
As is the case with a majority of positions on the roster, the Oregon Ducks have a lot of production to replace at the safety spot. With both Kobe Savage and Tysheem Johnson graduating, the Ducks will have a pair of new starter in 2025. Fortunately, they landed one of the best transfer portal players in the nation with Purdue's Dillon Thieneman, a player who is considered to be one of the top safeties in the nation, and a likely first-round pick in next year's NFL draft. Alongside Thieneman are several young, former blue-chip players who will look to step into a bigger role this year and ascend in the depth chart. Overall, the safety room might be among the strongest on the roster this season.
Departing Oregon Ducks Safeties
Career Stats: 54 games, 262 tackles, 16 TFLs, 2 sacks, 6 INTs
Analysis: After transferring from Ole Miss and playing two seasons with the Ducks, Tysheem Johnson's time in college is up. Johnson made positive impacts for both the 2023 and 2024 Oregon teams, playing more snaps than almost any defensive player, but he did always have more success stopping the run than as a ball-hawking safety.
Career Stats: 36 games, 179 tackles, 10 TFLS, 6 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR
Analysis: Kobe Savage played just one season for the Ducks, coming to Eugene as a grad transfer from Kansas State, and although he wasn't a superstar on the Ducks defense, he was a consistent contributor all season long. It's tough to lose both of your top safeties in one year, and the Ducks will fill these holes in different ways.
Career Stats: 17 games, 7 tackles
Analysis: The last departing Ducks safety is Tyler Turner, who entered the transfer portal this winter and committed to Baylor. Turner played two seasons at Oregon, redshirting in his first, leaving him three years of eligibility to transfer to Baylor.
Returning Oregon Ducks Safeties
Career Stats: 14 games, 9 tackles
Analysis: Although he technically transferred to Oregon from Alabama last spring, Peyton Woodyard's career hadn't started yet, giving him four years (now three) in Eugene. Woodyard is one of Oregon's fastest developing young players, and with the newly open spots atop the secondary, expect Woodyard to become a major contributor this fall.
Career Stats: 2 games, 1 tackle
Analysis: Although Woodyard is probably a step ahead of him, Aaron Flowers is another one of Oregon's fastest rising young stars. After showing out in the Ducks' 2024 Spring Game, many expected Flowers to play a bigger role as a freshman last season, but he ended up redshirting. He may not be the starter, but I expect we'll see much more of Flowers this season.
Career Stats: 6 games, 1 tackle
Analysis: Oregon's final safety returner is Kingston Lopa, who, like Woodyard and Flowers, was a 4-star freshman in 2024. Lopa played more than Flowers, seeing action in six games, but he never saw a high snap count. The Ducks called on him in the Big Ten Championship game to cover Penn State's Tyler Warren, one of the best tight ends in the nation. That confidence will surely be transferred into this coming season.
Incoming Oregon Ducks Safeties
Career Stats: 24 games, 210 tackles, 7 TFLs, 1 sack, 6 INTs, 2 FFs
Analysis: Dillon Thieneman was among Oregon's most important pickups in the portal after the way the Ducks lost to Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State, giving up deep ball after deep ball. Thieneman's ability against the run and especially the pass is unmatched, and he will be a legitimate star on this Oregon defense.
247Sports Recruiting Profile: 4-star recruit, No. 4 safety, No. 73 overall
Analysis: Speaking of legitimate stars, Oregon's sole safety recruit Trey McNutt has stardom in his future. Although 247Sports doesn't rank him as a 5-star, On3Sports does, and they have him as the No. 2 safety in his class. McNutt won't start this fall, but it may not take long for him to become one of Oregon's top safeties or one of the Big Ten's top safeties.
Predicting Oregon Ducks Starting Safeties
Boundary Safety: Dillon Thieneman
Field Safety: Kingston Lopa
Oregon Ducks Safety Outlook
The safety position seems to be in great hands both now and in the future for the Ducks. With Thieneman leading the way this year, Oregon has a bright future ahead, led by a core of Lopa, Woodyard, Flowers, and McNutt. On top of that, the Ducks have a commitment from 5-star safety Jett Washington, the top-ranked safety in the 2026 class. Much like the cornerback spot, this could be one of the strong points for Oregon's roster going into the future.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
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