From the Cradle of Quarterbacks to Joe Tiller's "basketball on grass" to Jeff Brohm's recent offensive success in West Lafayette, Purdue football has been known to throw the ball around the yard.
New head coach Ryan Walters recognized that and chose to continue the tradition by hiring offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to lead the Boilermakers' attack in 2023. Harrell will aim to uphold the offensive mindset that has become popular in West Lafayette over the last nearly 30 years.
"The standard's been set at a really high level, and a lot of guys have kind of carried on that tradition here at Purdue, and we hope to build on it," Harrell said.
Purdue was ahead of its time in many ways. As spread offenses and throwing the football around the yard gained traction, it was Joe Tiller who introduced the pass-heavy offense to the Big Ten in 1997. That mindset has remained in West Lafayette and will not change anytime soon.
A product of Mike Leach's Air Raid system, Graham Harrell has put his own flavor on the offense that made him an All-American at Texas Tech in the late 2000s. Now, he brings his high-powered attack with him to the Big Ten. Harrell says Purdue's offensive success starts at the position he used to man during his playing days.
"I think that most offenses now, but especially ours, and Purdue has done historically is very quarterback-driven, and we're no different. You know that guy's got to play at a high level to give you a chance to win," Harrell said.
Throughout Purdue's storied history on the gridiron, the quarterback position has been one of its biggest strengths. The home of the "Cradle of Quarterbacks" has sent over a dozen signal callers to the NFL, including the likes of Jim Everett, Len Dawson, Gary Danielson, Mark Herrmann, and Bob Griese. Even in recent seasons, Purdue quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell, David Blough, and Elijah Sindelar have been amongst the best in the Big Ten during their respective seasons.
At the top of the long list of great quarterbacks is future Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees. Harrell associates the Boilermakers' football program with the 2000 Maxwell Award winner.
"He kind of changed the landscape, to an extent, of college football because he was kind of throwing it around before people were really throwing it around. He made it popular and made people believe it's possible to go have success throwing the football. Which was awesome," Harrell said.
It will be Harrell's job to help guide the stellar quarterback play in West Lafayette. He will have a new signal caller to help accomplish that during the 2023 season.
