The 3-2-1: Training camp preview edition

Three things learned. Two questions. One bold statement. It’s time for the 3-2-1, a look at Purdue football.

Three things learned

1 – O-line bigger, deeper

There has been a concerted effort to get bigger up front since Ryan Walters has taken over. Mission: Accomplished. It’s hoped better size will help the front be more physical in short-yardage situations. Can Purdue get those one or two tough yards, especially in the red zone? When everyone in the stadium knows the Boilermakers want to run the ball?

Purdue imported four portal linemen: T Joshua Sales * (Indiana), T Corey Stewart * (Ball State), G/T Joey Tanona * (Notre Dame) and G/T DJ Wingfield * (New Mexico).

And offensive line coach Marcus Johnson also inked JCs Jaekwon Bouldin and Rod Green along with high school players Max Parrott , John Randle , Jordan King and Jaden Ball .

Add it all up: Purdue has brought in 10 new linemen, adding much-needed depth for a unit that was bare thin at times in 2023.

But the anchors will be three veterans: Marcus Mbow , Mahamane Moussa and Gus Hartwig , a strong trio to build around.

2 – Straw that stirs the drink

The offseason was about a lot of things for Hudson Card . Near the top of his to-do list: Get bigger. He’s up to 210.

Card is the straw that stirs the drink in West Lafayette, the unquestioned leader coming off a season in which he ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (217.0), hitting 59 percent of his attempts for 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Card also ran for 203 yards and five interceptions.

Card looks poised to be one of the Big Ten’s top signal-callers in 2024. And he’ll need to be for the Boilermakers to reach their goals.

Card will be fortified by a line that imported four players from the portal and two JC transfers. And the receiving corps also underwent change with three portal add-ons: De’Nylon Morrissette (Georgia), C.J. Smith (Georgia) and Kam Brown (UCLA). Plus, Purdue is welcoming 2023 portal WR Jahmal Edrine (Florida Atlantic) into the fold after he missed 2023 with a training camp knee injury.

3 – Pass rushers needed

Who is gonna bring the heat?

Purdue saw rush end Nic Scourton transfer to Texas A&M. That hurt. And sidekick Kydran Jenkins has been moved to inside linebacker. Scouton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks in 2023, while Jenkins was third with 7.5. And the duo combined for 30.5 TFLs last year.

All eyes are on Will Heldt, a sophomore who looks primed to blossom. Opposite him? Shitta Sillah (Boston College) and C.J. Madden (Georgia) will battle to start. Keep an eye on Calvin Smith (Illinois) and Jireh Ojata (Franklin College).

Two questions

1 – How will receiving unit develop?

Change, change, change.

This position underwent plenty of tumult via the portal in the offseason with the likes of Deion Burks , T.J. Sheffield and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen , among others, bolting. All told, eight wideouts departed West Lafayette after 2023. And TE Garrett Miller (Texas A&M) also hit the bricks.

Into the WR void: CJ Smith and De’Nylon Morrissette of Georgia and UCLA’s Kam Brown . And JC transfer Leland Smith was added to the mix. And will any of the four freshmen step up?

But the guy to watch is Jahmal Edrine (Florida Atlantic), who transferred to Purdue last year but suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp. He reportedly is back and ready to be the alpha.

The top returning pass catcher? TE Max Klare with 22. The top returning receiver? Jayden Dixon-Veal with 16. In between those two is RB Devin Mockobee , who made 19 receptions in 2023.

Add it up, and Purdue returns only 71 of 234 catches (30 percent) from 2023. Aside from Dixon-Veal, the only other wideouts back who caught a passes for Purdue in 2023 are Jaron Tibbs (5) and Andrew Sowinski (3).

2 – Will kicking be better?

The return game was good last year. In fact, the success in both punt and kickoff returns was the program’s best in 20 years. The punting was solid and the kickoff team caused the most fumbles in FBS.

But the kicking struggled.

Special teams coach Chris Petrilli thinks he’s solved the issue. He signed RJ Lopez from the portal from UCLA to handle kickoffs. In December, Petrilli inked Spencer Porath from Brownsburg (Ind.) High to handle placements. And Ben Freehill remains on hand to battle for the placement and kickoff jobs.

Purdue also feels Keelan Crimmins (Mississippi State) is an upgrade at punter.

In addition to watching the kickers in camp, keep an eye on the return game, which is holding auditions with Tyrone Tracy (kickoffs) and TJ Sheffield (punts) gone. In the spring, staffers looked at CJ Smith , Reggie Love and Elijah Jackson , among others, on kickoff returns. Andrew Sowinski and Dillon Thieneman got plenty of work on punt returns.

One bold statement: TE Max Klare will earn postseason honors

Tight ends coach Justin Sinz arguably has the best position group on the squad, even though Miller transferred to Texas A&M.

A big reason for optimism: Max Klare , who looked poised for freshman All-American honors in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury. Klare played in the first five games last season, starting four, making 22 receptions for 196 yards.

The sky seemingly is the limit for Klare, who is part of a unit that also includes George Burhenn , Drew Biber and Tayvion Galloway .

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