In the same week that a trio of Oregon Ducks were named 2025 AP Preseason All-Americans, those same three players have been named to ESPN’s top 100 players in college football prior to the 2025 season.
Safety Dillon Thieneman was the first Duck to appear on the list at No. 44. The former Purdue Boilermaker was one of the team’s lone standouts, finishing with a team-leading 104 total tackles (70 solo) and six passes defensed.
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Next was running back Makai Hughes, who also transferred to join Oregon’s program this offseason. Coming in at No. 30 on the list, Hughes established himself as one of the top running backs in the country during his two seasons at Tulane — regardless of conference.
“Hughes rushed for 2,779 yards combined the past two seasons, more than any other returning back in college football,” ESPN’s Jake Trotter wrote. “Hughes should bring a level of physicality to the Oregon offense; he broke 38 tackles last season, tied with North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton for fifth most in the nation.”
Tops on the list for the Ducks is defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei, who’s ranked as the 20th best player in college football. It should come as no surprise, as he was an All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore and notched 10.5 sacks in the regular season. That led the conference.
“The Ducks lost several key players off last season’s defense, including tackle Derrick Harmon, a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Trotter wrote. “But Uiagalelei is a big reason the Ducks could be just as disruptive up front after ranking third in the Big Ten with 40 sacks in 2024.”
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With less than two weeks to go before Oregon kicks off their season against Montana State, the preseason accolades continue to roll in for the Ducks’ trio of stars.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Three Oregon Ducks named to top 100 college football players in 2025
