Graduate transfers change outlook on Purdue's offensive line
More: Recruiting start pleasant surprise
More ($): 'Countdown to camp' position-by-position breakdown
CHICAGO — Even with training camp only a week away, coach Jeff Brohm still wouldn’t map out what Purdue’s offensive line could look like on Day 1.
Maybe that’s because Brohm still is searching for answers.
The Boilermakers lost three starters from a season ago, including both guards, and they were forced to play players in the spring who’d had little game experience. That, largely, meant pass protection wasn’t as good as it’ll need to be in the season, and the run blocking could have been better, too. And those were essential areas that Purdue needed improvement after allowing 29 sacks and averaging only 96.2 yards rushing in 2016.
But Brohm’s hoping the addition of graduate transfers Dave Steinmetz and Shane Evans will change that prognosis.
“I think Dave Steinmetz (and) Shane Evans will without question provide competition and be in the rotation,” Brohm said Tuesday at the Big Ten media days, held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. “Whether they will be a starter or not remains to be seen, but I like what I’ve seen to this point. I think they’ll definitely help our football team. It was something we definitely needed, and I’m glad they were both with us.”
Steinmetz provides length and good size at 6-foot-8, 314 pounds to compete for the starting right tackle spot, likely matching up against spring first-teamer Eric Swingler (6-5, 305), who has limited game experience. Steinmetz started 31 games at Rhode Island, including not missing an offensive snap the last two seasons.
Evans (6-4, 308) will factor in on the interior, and he could be competing with last year’s starter — but at tackle — in Matt McCann at one of the guard spots. McCann missed all of the spring while rehabbing after ankle surgery, but Brohm is eager to see McCann in person and where he fits in up front.
Mike Mendez, who started games at tackle last season, played guard in the spring and will fight to keep a spot there in the fall.
Center Kirk Barron, a full-time starter last year, and redshirt freshman Grant Hermanns at left tackle seem to be the only two players up front who go into camp with a seemingly solid hold on the starting jobs.
But Brohm knows things can change.
“I think Kirk is our leader, and he’s played quite a bit. The other guys in the spring that were in our front five all improved and got better and are going to have to play for us for sure. With the new additions, they’re going to continue to push these guys for playing time. If we can get a rotation of seven or eight guys, that’s what you’re looking for,” Brohm said. “In the NFL, that’s normally what you carry on a roster into a game and you’re able to play with those guys. While we would like to have even more depth, I think certain guys have improved, certain young freshmen have arrived and while they may not be there (ready), I think we can create and add to the depth.”
Brohm said, in terms of recruiting, offensive line is “very important” and he likes to oversign there. Purdue could have as many as 20 linemen in fall camp, including walk-ons, and that’ll provide plenty of opportunities to rotate guys and keep others fresh.
But he’ll still need to decide who the top five will be relatively soon into camp, so that group can gain cohesion.
“I think when we add (McCann, Steinmetz and Evans) to the mix, I think now we have some legitimate guys that can create some competition, and while we don't have the depth that we'd like to at this point, I think we can get these seven to eight guys to step forward and do a good job for us and be productive and hopefully stay healthy and then continue to get the ones beyond them better,” Brohm said. “But I think we'll be better. Will we have to do a few things to take care of them? Yes, but that's with every team and that's our job as coaches.”
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