Football is almost here. It is the penultimate post in our countdown and both of today's players are starters for tomorrow's season opener.

Hudson Card - Jr. (RS)

Austin, TX (Lake Travis HS)

6'3", 210 pounds

Quarterback

2023 Projection: Starter

For years, uncertainty at the quarterback position has been an issue for Purdue. Only last year did Purdue have an unquestioned No. 1 guy. For much of the past decade there have been multiple quarterbacks that have seen time as the starter for one reason or another. This year, despite the departure of Aidan O'Connell to the NFL, Purdue found its starter early on thanks to the transfer portal.

Card was in a strange situation at Texas. Over three years he played in 22 games and even got five starts. Last year he stared down the gauntlet that is Alabama and almost led Texas to an upset win. Ultimately, Quinn Ewers won the starting job full time and the arrival of Arch Manning as the nation's top recruit meant Card's playing time was probably going to diminish.

So he went into the portal, and Purdue was able to get one of the best quarterbacks available in its time of need. For his career he hs 1,523 yards passing and 11 TDs against only two interceptions. He has also completed 65.5% of his passes.

His arrival at Purdue really feels like a "Right place, right time" situation for both parties involved. he has been the starter pretty much since setting foot on campus and if things work out he will be a very large reason for Purdue's 2023 success.

Markevious Brown - Jr.

Pahokee, FL (Ole Miss)

5'11", 180 pounds

Cornerback

2023 Projection: Starter

Brown is another player that came to Purdue at a position of great need through the transfer portal. He is a former 4-star recruit by some services and he has 18 games of experience in playing at Ole Miss. He only had 21 total tackles, mostly as a reserve, but he is a player that showed improvement each year at Ole Miss. He now has two years of eligibilty.

Brown has already been named a starter for tomorrow. With the sudden departure of Jamari Brown, Purdue is in desperate need of an answer at cornerback, so a lot will be riding on Markevious.