GoldandBlack.com Saturday Simulcast: March 16 Purdue spring football preview

The March 16 edition of GoldandBlack.com’s Saturday Simulcast is our Purdue football spring football preview with our resident football expert Tom Dienhart with  Alan Karpick. Spring practice begins Tuesday, March 19 with the first of 15 practices culminating with the April 13 spring game.

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Ryan Walters will kick off his second spring practice on March 19, his first look at a roster that has welcomed 15 portal additions (one walk-on) and 13 early enrollees (11 freshmen and two JCs).

How will the influx of talent be worked in with a core of veterans for a Boilermaker program coming of a 4-8 season?

The Boilermakers will practice 15 times, with five practices on Tuesdays, five on Thursdays and four on Fridays. The spring game will be Saturday, April 13 at noon ET in Ross-Ade Stadium. The final practice will be April 18. 

The Tuesday and Thursday practices will begin at 9 a.m. and include media availability. The Friday practices will start at 5 p.m and have no media availability.

All practices will be closed to the public.

Our best guess at a pre-spring depth chart for the defense. We looked at the offense on Wednesday.

DEFENSE

NOTES:

• LINE: The OLBs are now called “rush ends,” which is more reflective of what they do. It hurt to see Nic Scourton transfer to Texas A&M. The staff countered by landing three portal rush ends led by Shittah Sillah (Boston College) and CJ Madden (Georgia). Keep an eye on Jireh Ojata (Franklin College). Yes, he’s a small school guy, but he has looked good. Will Heldt appears poised for a breakout. Future star?

The interior will be anchored by big NT Cole Brevard. But who will flank him with Malik Langham and Isaiah Nichols gone? Joe Anderson and Jeffrey M’Ba will get first crack. Anderson came on last year; M’Ba looks good getting off the bus but needs to develop. The staff will see what Kentucky transfer Jamarius Dinkins has got. He looks the part. Injury has dogged Damarjhe Lewis. NT Mo Omonode plays like his hair is on fire.

• LINEBACKERS: The staff has moved Kydran Jenkins from rush end to inside linebacker, where he will start. Jenkins was a playmaker deluxe on the edge last year. How will he adapt to playing on two feet and in the box? Yanni Karlaftis looks to continue to develop. When the defense takes the “Star” position off the field and opts for another linebacker, Clyde Washington will come in. He’s backed by Winston Berglund and Owen Davis.

• SECONDARY: Georgia transfer Nyland Green looks like a gem. Is he the best of all the portal additions? He’s expected to pair with Markevious Brown as the top corner tandem. Derrick Rogers impressed as a true freshman last year; his future is bright. Depth at this spot is better.

This time last year, S Dillon Thieneman was an anonymous early enrollee. Now, he’s a freshman All-American and budding star. He’ll look to pick up where he left off, as he becomes even more of a leader for the defense. Antonio Stevens is Thieneman’s partner with Cam Allen departed. Stevens’ comeback from a devastating 2020 knee injury is remarkable. D’Mon Marable is an early enrollee who is mature beyond his years. Could he forge a role? The safety unit will miss Sanoussi Kane.

Kyndrich Breedlove and Salim Turner-Muhammad will man the “star” position, but Turner-Muhammad may be out with injury this spring. He has yet to play a snap since arriving from Stanford last year. Breedlove–a Colorado transfer–may be the fastest player in the secondary.

Purdue Spring Football Depth Chart: Offense

Ryan Walters will kick off his second spring practice on March 19, getting his first look at a roster that has welcomed 15 portal additions (one walk-on) and 13 early enrollees (11 freshmen and two JCs).

How will the influx of talent be worked in with a core of veterans for a Boilermaker program coming of a 4-8 season?

The Boilermakers will practice 15 times, with five practices on Tuesdays, five on Thursdays and four on Fridays. The spring game will be Saturday, April 13, at noon ET in Ross-Ade Stadium. The final practice will be April 18. 

The Tuesday and Thursday practices will begin at 9 a.m. and include media availability. The Friday practices will start at 5 p.m and have no media availability.

All practices will be closed to the public.

Our best guess at a pre-spring depth chart for the offense.

OFFENSE

NOTES:

• LINE: No unit has undergone more flux with the arrival of four portal additions and two JC transfers. Corey Stewart (Ball State) may be the best of the bunch. DJ Wingfield (New Mexico) is good, too. Joey Tanona (Notre Dame) hasn’t played in two years (car accident). How will he look? Depth has been improved greatly, which should help if injuries strike like they did last season. Another thing improved: size. It’s hoped that will help when it comes to getting tough yards in short-yardage and red zone situations. C Gus Hartwig and T Marcus Mbow are the veteran bellwethers.

• RECEIVERS: Lots to prove for a unit that saw six scholarship wideouts enter the portal after the 2023 season, includuing Deion Burks (Oklahoma), T.J. Sheffield (Michigan State), Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (South Florida). Purdue countered by bringing in three portal additions. Keep an eye on CJ Smith (Georgia), who brings elite speed. UCLA’s Kam Brown will be a factor in the slot. Hopes are high for Jahmal Edrine (Florida Atlantic), who transferred last year but suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp. Could he be the alpha this unit needs? JC transfer Leland Smith will arrive in May.

• TIGHT ENDS: The duo of Max Klare and George Burhenn drips with potential. But Burhenn broke a foot in the winter; don’t expect much–if anything–from him this spring. Drew Biber will get plenty of action. He’s better than you think. There is plenty of talent to compensate for seeing Garrett Miller transfer to Texas A&M.

• RUNNING BACKS: Devin Mockobee is back to lead the unit for a third season. He battled through a fumbling issue last year. Reggie Love (Illinois) was imported to help replace do-everything Tyrone Tracy (pros) and Dylan Downing (Miami, Ohio, transfer). Staffers are excited about early arriving freshman Jaheim Merriweather. Is he the real deal? Merriweather will be given a chance to impress.

• QUARTERBACKS: Hudson Card needs to develop chemistry with his new targets as he gains more command and comfort in his second season. Card needs to take his game to another level, starting now. Who will be his caddy? Ryan Browne may have an edge over Bennett Meredith, as he flashed potential in extended duty at Northwestern last fall. Has Browne improved as a passer? Keep an eye on true freshman Marcos Davila, who has a big arm and a bright future. Could he be the 2025 starter?