WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football's spring game will be played at noon Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Head coach Ryan Walters will enter his second season in 2023 with a 4-8 record.
Last season, there was no official spring game, instead an indoor mock scrimmage was held to conclude the spring season.
Currently, the Boilermakers have the depth to run games, but the format does not include punts and kicks. Rather, the NCAA punting average determines where the ball will be spotted on the punt candidate, and after scoring the play, the ball will be placed at his 25-yard line to begin the next series.
The first team's offense plays against the first team's defense. Then the second team follows. A play that gains a first down or touchdown by a short amount of yards rather than risking injury is automatically ruled a first down or TD.
Here are five things to watch about Purdue's spring game on Saturday.
Transfer portal pickup
Purdue made a lot of acquisitions through the transfer portal during the offseason, and is one of the best in college football in terms of portal pickups.
more:Add transfer portal at cornerback to balance Purdue football's defense.
Several players will have the opportunity to play right away, including former Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Kneeland Green, defensive end CJ Madden, and receivers Denylon Morissette and CJ Smith. Boston College defensive end Citta Sylla was mentioned by Walters early in spring training, and former University of Illinois running back Reggie Love III is expected to complement Devin Mocobee.
offensive line depth
One of the reasons Purdue wasn't able to play a full spring game last year was the lack of depth, especially up front.
In addition to upgrading size and talent, the Boilermakers also need to upgrade their front line as Purdue was unable to run 11-on-11 in practice and essentially strung together five players on game day late last season. A week focused on also upgrading the number of players available.
You'll notice junior college transfer Jaegwon Boldin because of his size. He is 6 feet 6 tall and weighs 350 pounds.
Two guys with a lot of experience and a lot of attention are former New Mexico State lineman DJ Wingfield and former Ball State standout tackle Corey Stewart. Rod Green, a junior college transfer, is an interesting name.
Backup QB
Hudson Card is a first team unit guy. And while you're waiting for the second unit to come onto the field, notice how much better the cards look when they're healthy.
But as of Thursday, offensive coordinator Graham Harrell wasn't sure who would start on the second team. True freshman Marcos Davila looks like he could be the future, but given the team's current objectives, I would look for Ryan Braun and Bennett Meredith to compete for the role. He had two stints at Northwestern last season when Card missed an injury.
secondary appearance
Purdue had limited minutes last season, especially in the secondary as Marquise Wilson suffered a serious injury and Salim Turner-Muhammad, who transferred to Stanford, missed a single game.
Markevious Brown was the returning starter, Anthony Brown appeared in 12 games, and Derrick Rogers and Botros Alisandro scored on corner kicks, but Purdue needed more. The Boilermakers acquired Green and Colorado's Kindrich Breedlove from the portal.
pass rush
Walters made a name for himself as a defensive coordinator, not only because of his talented secondary, but also because of his ability to confuse quarterbacks with multiple looks and pass rushes.
Last season, Nick Skorton and Kidran Jenkins were Purdue's Bebop and Rocksteady (see: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Skorton took advantage of his breakout season and made some money to transfer to Texas A&M. Jenkins is back but is transitioning to inside linebacker, which is his position at the next level.
So who will take over the task of attacking the quarterback?
As mentioned earlier, Shira is a name to know. But did Purdue steal Division III All-American Jire Ojata from Franklin College in the transfer portal? Will Helt was ultimately the guy Purdue needed on the field as a true freshman last season.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email Sking@jconline.com and follow @samueltking on Twitter and Instagram.
