Old National Presents: 3-2-1 of Purdue football
Three things learned. Two questions. One statement. It’s time for the 3-2-1, a look at Purdue football as spring drills kick off on Tuesday.
Three things learned
1 – New-look o-line: bigger, deeper and hopefully better
No unit has undergone a bigger transfusion of talent, with Purdue importing four players from the portal along with two JC transfers. Four high school players also are on board.
Purdue’s portal o-line additions are Ball State’s Corey Stewart, Notre Dame’s Joey Tanona, Indiana’sJoshua Sales and New Mexico’s DJ Wingfield. Purdue also added Jaekwon Bouldin and Rod Green from the JC ranks, while signing four high school linemen.
Stewart is the transfer who is most likely to start. And Wingfield could be poised to start, too. The most intriguing addition? Tanona, a former four-star recruit who hasn’t played in two seasons after being involved in a bad car crash in 2022.
No doubt, the newcomers have added much needed size and depth to the front.
Those arrivals will augment a unit that has some good foundational pillars in Marcus Mbow, Gus Hartwig and Mahamane Moussa.
2 – Jahmal Edrine is back! Remember the name
Purdue had six scholarship wideouts enter the portal after the 2023 season: Deion Burks (Oklahoma), T.J. Sheffield (Michigan State), Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (South Florida), Elijah Canion, Mershawn Rice and Curtis Deville.
Purdue countered that attrition by adding three receivers from the portal: UCLA’s Kam Brown along with Georgia teammates CJ Smith and De’Nylon Morrissette. JC Leland Smith will arrive in May.
And don’t forget about Jahmal Edrine, a transfer in 2023 from Florida Atlantic who missed last season with a knee injury. He could be a cut above.
3 – Searching for some edge heat
Purdue saw pass-rusher deluxe Nic Scourton transfer to Texas A&M. And Kydran Jenkins is slated to start at inside linebacker. So, who will rush the passer at the rush end spot?
The staff has imported three edge rushers: Georgia’s CJ Madden, Boston College’s Shitta Sillah and Franklin College’s Jireh Ojata. Sophomore Will Heldt could be primed for big things. Is this his breakout year?
Two questions
1 – Cornerback upgrades?
The depth of this group was tested last season with mixed results.
The staff has augmented the position with some intriguing talent. Georgia’s Nyland Green may be the best of all the transfers. Colorado’s Kyndrich Breedlove could be the fastest of the d-backs.
Green and Breedlove will join Derrick Rogers, a rising talent, along with Markevious Brown to give Purdue a solid top four.
2 – How will special teams sort out?
We won’t get a good indication this spring. Why? Because Spencer Porath–the likely field-goal kicker–is still in high school and won’t arrive until May. And UCLA transfer kicker RJ Lopez–the likely kickoff man–also won’t be here until after the second semester, too. The lone proven kicker this spring will be Ben Freehill, who will compete to boot field goals and to kick off in the fall.
Punting also will remain a mystery this spring, as there is no one on the roster who has punted in a game with Jack Ansell and Brendan Cropsey both gone. It’s believed Purdue has identified its punter, but that person remains a mystery and won’t be here this spring.
One bold statement: This is Hudson Card’s time
He was given the reins after transferring from Texas prior to the 2023 season. Card flashed at times. And the fact he dealt with injury didn’t help. It’s hoped Card–a fifth-year senior–will evolve in his second season in West Lafayette and second as a starter in what likely is his final go-around.
A sidebar storyline: Who will back up Card? Bennett Meredith and Ryan Browne each saw extended action at Northwestern in 2023 when Card was out with injury. But keep an eye on early enrollee Marcos Davila, who may be the future.
But, the early money is on Browne to be Card’s caddie.
