Analysis: Purdue 2024 OLB signees
Purdue OLB coach Joe Dineen breaks down the Boilermakers’ two OLB signees for the Class of 2024: Jamari Payne and D.J. Allen.
“(Jamari Payne) brings a lot to the table. He’s a bigger guy, athletic, about 6-3 to 260 So, kind of in that same body build as Nic (Scourton). Physical at the point of attack, but he has some twitch to him and has some pass rush ability. He had a play in the All-Star game the other day where he went up, picked the ball up off with one hand and took it back. So, you see stuff like that, makes you excited.
“I can’t take all the credit. My compadres, (defensive line coach) Brick Haley, did a great job with that one. He’s got good roots down there. Built a good relationship with the family and we’re really happy to kind of go down there and steal some guys out of Alabama.
“(D.J. Allen) plays true outside linebacker in the scheme that they play at Germantown (High School), and Coach (Gene) Robinson has done a great job just kind of developing him into that spot. He’s about 6-3, 220, more athletic, can move, play around in space and as you’re building the room, the thing that you need is competitive depth. That pushes everybody to reach their full potential and be the best that they can be. So, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to go out, handpick guys that are gonna fit in our system and provide competitive depth and with the potential to push guys along and get them going.
“I think it’s too early to tell (who is a Buck and who is a Fox). I think as they get with (strength coach) Coach Ro (Kiero Small), as they start to put weight on, watch how they move, then that’s when it really starts to take shape. You will kind of slot guys a little bit just based on body type. But, really, you don’t know until the pads come on and they start setting edges.”
(Text was transcribed from interviews Purdue assistant coaches did with The Boilermaker Alliance.)
MORE: Purdue 2024 football commitment breakdown | Signing Day Notebook
