Boilermaker defensive line emboldened by new Purdue scheme
For Purdue's defensive linemen, change has been liberating.
Bound last season to a containment-minded style that emphasized gap-plugging, block-eating and reactive play over proactive play, the Boilermaker defensive ends and tackles seem to feel like they've been set free now under new coordinator Brad Lambert, D-line coach Mark Hagen, et al, along with the philosophical shift toward aggressiveness that Jeff Brohm has committed to.
"As a football player, and as a defensive lineman especially, you want to attack," All-America candidate George Karlaftis said. "You want to be physical, violent and aggressive in what you do. Playing aggressive is great, and I think it's unlocked parts of certain people's games.
"We're not stepping sideways anymore. It's about getting after the quarterback, making tackles for loss and being aggressive. That's what being a defensive lineman is all about."
Karlaftis' sophomore season was marred by an ankle injury, then a bout with COVID. Regardless, it was apparent he was the player most miscast in Bob Diaco's 3-4-heavy playbook.
Now, he's the face of a unit that will still have responsibilities beyond backfield penetration and disruption, but none more important. Sacks and turnovers are a priority, even if they come at the cost of the occasional big play allowed. Not that the prior system eliminated those anyway.
"It's attack mode, 24/7," defensive end Jack Sullivan said. "We're pushing (people) back, pushing the pocket, all that type of stuff. Last year we were kind of eating up blocks. Now we're getting after people and putting a lot more pressure on.
"It's fun to get off the ball and go and not have to think about anything else."
Such freedom seems to have created a sort of energy around the defensive line that may have been missing last season.
"I think all the guys like the system," said Hagen, part of an era at Purdue years ago when Boilermaker coaches cut their defensive ends loose and subsequently built a strong lineage of pass-rushers at the position. "I don't want to speak to what they did last year but what I've seen on video, it wasn't super-aggressive from a front standpoint, and I think guys want to play a more attacking style. With that said, you have to go out and do it, too."
That will be up to a group of experienced and inexperienced alike.
Karlaftis is a bona fide star, an expected All-America-level performer and one of the best defensive players in a loaded Big Ten, even if he didn't get much of a chance to show it last season.
Senior DaMarcus Mitchell has missed much of camp while tending to conditioning issues — Hagen expects him back on the practice field the next dew days — but gives the Boilermakers another formidable edge presence. In his absence, redshirt freshman Kydran Jenkins, a converted linebacker who now exceeds 260 pounds, has gotten invaluable experience with the first-team defense, likely accelerating his development.
Hagen praised the play of defensive tackle Branson Deen thus far in camp, particularly in the context of the importance of aggressiveness, while Indiana transfer and 300-plus-pounder Damarjhe Lewis hopes to bring an edge to Purdue's defensive front.
"Football is the only way you can destroy somebody and not go to jail for it," he joked.
Sullivan, now a junior with meaningful experience behind him, is working at both defensive end positions, and fellow veteran Lawrence Johnson has recovered fairly well from a nasty hip injury last season. Newcomer Prince Boyd and redshirt freshman Bryce Austin are also looking to carve their niches in Purdue's tackle rotation.
It's Karlaftis, though, who carries the most gravity around the unit, obviously, and this season, the junior has tried to leverage it the best he can. Hagen gushes about Karlaftis' work ethic and commitment to preparation, but challenged him this off-season to be more overt in his leadership and standard-setting for those around him.
And as one of the team's central figures and one who happens to be all in, and then some, with the new defensive staff, Karlaftis' voice has mattered.
"I've taken it upon myself to improve in that aspect," Karlaftis said. "It's tough when you're used to having older guys around you and always feeling like a younger guy, but I'm an older guy, a junior. It was tough transitioning into that role, but I feel like I've done well. Every day's a challenge and every day I'm learning something new. There's not a certain way to lead."
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