For Roberts, third Purdue position feels like 'home'; more notes

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Third year and a third position for Brandon Roberts.

After jumping around the secondary the last couple years, the sophomore thinks he’ll be able to stay around for a bit at his latest position, feeling like nickel back — a critical spot to the Boilermakers’ multiple-DB scheme — is a good fit.

“I feel like I’ve found a home now,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon following Purdue’s sixth practice of training camp.

Purdue thinks so, too, and a good thing, considering the importance of the position in Ross Els’ defensive scheme. In playing a significantly nickel-based defense, Purdue wants a player who can not only cover in the slot but one who can also tackle in the box.

And Roberts might be a perfect hybrid. He has experience doing both, being a cornerback during his redshirt season in 2014, then a safety, where he started the last three games, in ’15.

“His athleticism, his body type, his speed,” said cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson, listing off the attributes that make Roberts a potentially quality nickel. “If you can find a young man like that, that’s that physical, has that stature and can cover some guys in space, that’s ideal for you.

“(The spot) is crucial, because everyone is playing with a third receiver and they’re putting that guy in space. To put a linebacker (to cover) on that guy, you’re doing yourself a disadvantage. You have a guy who is physical and can play with a No. 2 receiver, like Brandon can, that makes it very, very good for us.”

Roberts, a 5-foot-11, 198-pounder, said he’s settling into the new role, using some of his previous experience to help him adjust. It’s different, he says, because of the positioning of the position; he’s closer to the line of scrimmage — about five yards off the slot receiver — and nearer to the box.

“Personally, I like to be closer to the line of scrimmage and I like to hit people, so I like to be closer to the box, too,” he said. “… Coach says it fits my skill set because I’m pretty fast and physical, too.”

It helps that Roberts has good knowledge of all the positions in the secondary. At nickel, he needs to be aware of where teammates are and their assignments.

“Playing nickel, a lot is about knowing where your help is,” he said. “You have to reroute people to your help, so I think playing safety helped me out a lot.” (KC)

• Newcomer Malik Kimbrough was in uniform for the first time during camp, after arriving at Purdue over the weekend. (More on Kimbrough).

The 6-foot, 172-pound transfer from Southwestern Community College — he’s wearing No. 9 — was working with the running backs on Wednesday, but his primary duty will be on special teams as a punt returner.

• Purdue will have its first two-a-day on Thursday.

• Freshman receiver Benaiah Franklin was in street clothes, having suffered a right hand/wrist injury earlier this week. (KC)

After a hot, long practice Wednesday, it was impressive for Race Johnson simply to be still standing.

He'd only just returned to West Lafayette late Tuesday afternoon from a 10,400-mile, three-day trek in which he went 40 consecutive hours without sleeping.

But he's never felt so good feeling so bad.

Johnson's absence from training camp was to attend the Olympics in Brazil to support younger brother Steele, who was competing in the 10-meter synchro diving competition with fellow Boilermaker David Boudia. Race Johnson had asked for permission from Coach Darrell Hazell to miss a few days of camp, and he's especially thankful the request was granted: He got to see his brother earn a silver medal.

"It was a great experience," Johnson said. "Just to be down there, even if my brother didn’t medal, I still would have loved the experience. But the fact I was down there to watch him medal, that was even better."

Race Johnson left Purdue at 3 p.m. Saturday, had a flight at 6 and caught his connecting flight from Newark at 9 p.m. Steele's event was Monday afternoon in Rio, at about 4 p.m. local time.

Race has seen Steele compete before, but the Olympic environment was unlike anything he'd been in. It couldn't even compare it to the loudest, craziest football stadium he'd been in — Penn State's Beaver Stadium. He soaked up every minute of the "rowdy" crowd — and contributed to the environment, too. He said he screamed after every dive, knowing what was truly a good one because he grew up diving with his brother before quitting to focus on football.

"I was just going crazy after every dive," he said. "After I knew he got the medal — I didn’t know what medal he was going to get because Britain still had to go — but the adrenaline was just going crazy. I was so amped. I posted on Snapchat. I was so geeked for that moment."

Race Johnson was able to stay to watch the medal ceremony, but then he had to bolt to catch his flight back. He didn't even get to celebrate with Steele afterward, Race said.

When he got back to campus Tuesday at 3:45 p.m., he went straight to lifting. Finally, Tuesday night, he was able to sleep some. Not enough, but that's OK.

"So worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat," he said. (SC)

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