"I remember seeing the captains speak when I first started practicing and thinking how cool it would be to be one of them. Now, I am. And I don't want to let my teammates down." – Jacob Thieneman
The calls to his dad were becoming more frequent. Jacob Thieneman wasn't sure if his Purdue football career was going to work out. They were challenging times.
"It was tough," Thieneman says. "I wasn't sure where this was going."
It was the fall of 2015. Thieneman was a redshirt freshman walkon who was coming off a foot injury and nowhere to be found on the depth chart.
"I was a glorified tackling dummy," he says.
Look at the senior now. Thieneman is not only a starter, but he also is a team captain who is on scholarship. And – how about this? – he may be one of the best safeties in the Big Ten Conference.
"It has been an incredible ride," Thieneman says. "And I want to finish it strong."
Don't bet against the Indianapolis-area native. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Thieneman will be a key cog for a Purdue defense that shocked the nation last season, providing the backbone to a surprise run to a 7-6 record capped by the program's first bowl win since 2011. Thieneman ranked third on the team with 80 tackles, sealing the Boilermakers' win vs. Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl with an interception while finishing with six tackles against the Wildcats. He finished with two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble recovery for the season.
"It was a nice run," Thieneman says. "But we want more."
Look for Thieneman to be all over the field this season. He has the ability to cover tight ends and running backs, while also being adept at rolling into Cover 3 to become a linebacker. And that's something that he may do often in 2018 because of lack of experience and depth at linebacker. He knows the scheme, so Holt may have to employ a 4-2-5 scheme on occasion and would need Thieneman to help against the run should attrition take place.
"I will play multiple roles," Thieneman says. "Wherever they want to use me. I have a lot of different skills."
Co-defensive coordinator Nick Holt appreciates that.
"He is a smart player who we put a lot on," Holt says. "He has to be a leader for us, making sure players are lined up correctly and the defense is set. He is a key player."
It took a while for Thieneman to feel like he belonged. When did it happen?
"It was during my redshirt sophomore season (2016)," he says. "I was on the kickoff return team for the opener vs. Eastern Kentucky. Later in the year at Maryland, I got my first defensive snaps. I was the third-team safety and got three tackles. I did OK.
"But I really felt like I belonged later that season when I was subbing in on defense a lot. I felt I could play at the Big Ten level."
Now, Thieneman wants the chance to play with his little brother this season, Brennan. He is a sophomore safety, a chip off the block of Jacob.
"But honestly," Jacob says, "he's probably further along at this stage of his career than I was. I just hope we get the chance to play some defense together this season. It hasn't happened yet."
The two brothers honed their competitive edge as kids, engaging in some fierce driveway basketball games. Who usually won?
"Jacob," Brennan says. "But I did develop this tricky hook shot he had trouble defending."
The Thieneman boys will be part of a secondary that figures to be the strength of the defense, as Purdue has just two starters back among its front seven: tackle Lorenzo Neal and linebacker Markus Bailey. Key players like Ja'Whaun Bentley, Danny Ezechukwu, Da'Wan Hunte, T.J. McCollum, Josh Okonye and Gelen Robinson are gone.
"It's all coming together for us," Jacob Thieneman says.
Thieneman is penciled in at a safety slot for a second season in a row and will team with junior Navon Mosley to give the Boilermakers a stout tandem. Look for Simeon Smiley to fill a nickel role. After that, depth must be developed, but the staff is excited by true freshman Cory Trice. Cornerback is an intriguing position. Purdue has veteran options in seniors Antonio Blackmon and Tim Cason, but redshirt freshmen Dedrick Mackey and Kenneth Major teem with potential. If the defense wants to transition from playing mostly zone and play more man coverage, the corners need to show they are up to the task.
"We have a chance to be pretty good in the back end," says Thieneman, a product of Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville, Indiana.
Off the field, Thieneman is more than pretty good. He has been great. The mechanical engineering major has been Academic All-Big Ten each of the last two seasons. This semester's course load includes a senior design project. Tough stuff. But nothing compared to linear circuit analysis and electricity optics, the toughest classes he says he has taken.
"I came here as a walkon who had no scholarship offers coming out of high school," Thieneman says. "I just loved Purdue and wanted to be an engineer.
"I remember seeing the captains speak when I first started practicing and thinking how cool it would be to be one of them. Now, I am. And I don't want to let my teammates down."