Arni's Birthday Zoom: Purdue football alum Jake Thieneman
In recent memory, Purdue football has made hay with walkons, and Jake Thieneman is one of those success stories. We caught up with Jake on his 6 3/4 birthday as he was born on Leap Day, 1996. The former Boilermaker safety who played from 2014-18, earning a starting role which began in the Bucket Game in 2016, now lives in Denver, Colorado with his brother Brennan (another former walk-on).
Jake uses his Purdue mechanical engineering degree for problem-solving skills in sales with Young with Solutions, a TikTok agency. He is also the founder of Automated Workflo, building sales and marketing systems and automation for small businesses. Thieneman, who played briefly in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers, talks about what his engineering degree taught him about marketing but also relays his experiences as a Boilermaker.
Not surprisingly, his highlights at Purdue were the 2017 season and how the Boilermaker defense played a big role in one of the biggest turnaround seasons in Purdue football annals under first-year coach Jeff Brohm.
“We were a very close unit, and were proud of our contribution to having a winning season, and getting us to a bowl,” Thieneman said. “The first home game win over Ohio (44-7) and going to Missouri and holding them to just three points, showed that we had the ability to be really good unit.”
Thieneman said it was surreal to have the opportunity to be a team captain in his senior year, and said it was extra special that his brother Brennan could fill in for him while Jake was sidelined for the final three games of the 2018 season.
Among other topics discussed in the Arni’s Birthday Zoom, Thieneman shares his thought on NIL and that he is bullish on college football moving forward.
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“It is messy right now (with NIL), but once some guardrails get put in place, I see it as one of the best things for college football down the road,” Thieneman said. “I am excited for the opportunity for (brother) Dillon, and his teammates will have in the years to come.?
Dillon is a member of coach Ryan Walters‘ first Purdue recruiting class who is on Purdue’s campus and will compete in spring practice has shared with his older brother that things are going well with the new coach.
“He likes the new staff, and the energy level that young coaches can bring,” Thieneman said. “I really like that coach Walters is a defensive guy for Dillon. I am excited to see the Purdue football program moving forward.”
Recent Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews:
Note: We have been doing Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews dating back to 2020. Many of those interviews can be found on Google. We are working on providing a complete directory of the many former men’s and women’s athletes who have participated.
