Five players from the West made the AP preseason All-America Team, and three of them are Ducks.
Transfer safety Dillon Thieneman is a First Team All-American, while edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei and running back Makhi Hughes made the Second Team.
Only rarely has Oregon had multiple preseason All-America selections. In 2024 Dillon Gabriel, Tez Johnson, and Ajani Cornelius were all named to the Second Team. In 2020, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Penei Sewell both made First Team All-American, but Sewell subsequently opted out of the Covid year season.
Nationally, Penn State and Texas dominate this year's squad. The Nittany Lions and Longhorns each placed three on the First Team, with the Longhorns looking dominant on defense with a star on each level, edge rusher Colin Simmons, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and safety Michael Taaffe.
The Ducks play PSU on their turf on September 27. While the challenge of 106,000-strong White Out environment will be imposing, the greater challege will be matching up with James Franklin's three First Team All-Americans, running back Nicholas Singleton, offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane and defensive lineman Zane Durant.
That goes back to running the football and stopping the run, demanding a maximum effort from Hughes, Thieneman and Uiagalelei, plus the Ducks who were passed over for All-American recognition, Isaiah World, Iapani Laloulu and Emmanuel Pregnon on the offensive line, Bear Alexander and Bryce Boettcher on defense.
Oregon's stars have to shine brighter on the biggest stage, and rise above the hype. Preseason honors are nice, but what counts is making plays on Saturday.
AP voters named 12 SEC players to the First Team, seven from the Big Ten. Ohio State had two first-teamers, receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs.
The Ducks can increase Thieneman's impact by moving him back to deep safety where he can better use his recognition and speed. Purdue put him up in the box for 2024. He piled up over 100 tackles both seasons, but his freshman year saw him pick off six passes, sophomore none.
2023 True Freshman Highlights #B10FOTY #AllAmerican pic.twitter.com/TrIslAYCsx
— Dillon Thieneman (@DillonThieneman) January 10, 2024
In two seasons at Tulane Hughes ran for 2,779 yards, 1,982 of that total after contact. The 5-11, 210-pound running back scored 24 TDs over two campaigns with the Green Wave.
Uiagalelei led the Ducks with 10.5 sacks as a sophomore, tops in the Big Ten for the regular season. He's taking aim at the Oregon single-season record of 13, held by Nick Reed, 2008 and Ernest Jones, 1993. Reed earned First Team postseason All-America honors, and later became a jet pilot. Uiagalelei is just looking to fly to the first round of the NFL draft.