No shortage of options at wideout position that teems with talent

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There’s Rondale Moore, David Bell and Milton Wright. Don’t forget about Amad Anderson, Jr., Jackson Anthrop and Jared Sparks. And TJ Sheffield and Mershawn. Rice teem with potential, too. Oh, and there are four tantalizing freshmen. The talent oozes at receiver for Purdue.

"On an individual basis, I think these guys have to make sure that they are getting the most out of what they are capable of doing," said co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard after practice on Tuesday. "The best part about it is, Rondale does bring out the best in them. As they are recognizing how he participates in things, how he runs his routes, how he releases, they are learning as they are watching.

"When we get in the film room, I'm able to coach him up in the room, and they hear how he takes coaching and so on and so forth, it's truly a blessing just to have him there. But I think the sky's the limit with No. 4 and the rest of those guys. We got a lot of guys out there. These guys got to go out there and perform."

And it begins with Moore, who provided a big boost last month when he opted back in for his redshirt sophomore season to the excitment of Purdue fans.

"We've got some guys out there who are being weapons and becoming weapons out there for us," said Shephard. "Where it's not just about designing something for just Rondale or David Bell. ...

"I'm a firm believer the ball finds you. if you're a player, the ball is gonna find you. With those guys, the ball will find them, and it always has and it will continue to."

Moore was a 2018 consensus All-American—the first true freshman in Big Ten history to earn the accolade—who had opted out among safety concerns about COVID-19 way back on Aug. 6, before the Big Ten announced its postponement of the 2020 season.

When football was back on in the Big Ten with detailed health and safety protocols, Moore returned to West Lafayette. He has something to prove after playing in just four game in 2019 after hurting his left hamstring vs. Minnesota. Now, Shephard can delight in diagramming plays with Moore and Bell both on the field. That didn't happen often last season.

"We've been having some fun with it already, actually," said Shephard. "The great part about working for Coach (Jeff) Brohm, he doesn't put a cap on you. There's no ceiling with our offense. It gives you the opportunity to be creative. And not just with those two but with everyone."

Rondale Moore’s absence allowed David Bell to emerge as a true freshman in 2019. And he took advantage of the opportunity, leading the Big Ten in catches with 86 while earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. How will Bell be better in 2020?

"He'll be better this year probably because No. 4 (Rondale Moore) is out there," said Shephard. "They don't get to put as many double-teams on him because of No. 4 being there.

"He really actually understands and knows the offense and what we are trying to get out of the offense. Last year, to be quite honest about it, he just was running routes. He didn't quite understand exactly what the nuances were for each route, how it was effected by this coverage ..."

In 2019, Bell headlined a group of four promising freshmen wideouts that also included Milton Wright, TJ Sheffield and Mershawn Rice. Bell and Wright made immediate impacts, while Sheffield and Rice redshirted dealing with injury.

This year, the Boilermakers have added four more decorated wideouts: Maliq Carr, Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, Marcellus Moore and Collin Sullivan. How many from that foursome will contribute in 2020?

“The good thing about all those freshmen is they all kind of do something a little different,” said quarterback Jack Plummer. “Maliq is a really big receiver. Abdur is really quick. He can run good deep routes. And then Sullivan, whenever he's hot, he's looking really good. He gets in and out of breaks really quickly. And then, Marcellus obviously is very very fast. So, they're all looking pretty good.”

Bell set a high standard as a freshman, following Moore's sensational debut in 2018. Shephard is excited to see what Bell will do next.

"Now, he's becoming a savant in terms of understanding the offense specifically and how he fits within it and what we are trying to accomplish when he's getting the ball or he's not getting the ball," said Shephard. "He's the decoy on this particular route, he still has an understanding running the route a certain way so that he can help someone else get open. Because of his knowledge of our offense, he'll be successful."

Shephard mentioned that sophomore tight end Payne Durham is "playing really well." ... Shephard also noted that redshirt freshman Paul Piferi is working at tight end. He spent 2019 as a quarterback, a position that already includes sophomore Jack Plummer, junior Aidan O'Connell, junior Austin Burton and true freshman Michael Alaimo. And Shephard has been impressed by Piferi. "He''s playing really well," said Shephard. In addition to Durham, Purdue also has redshirt freshmen Kyle Bilodeau and Garrett Miller at tight end. ... There was a point in time this summer when Shephard wasn't sure the Big Ten would be playing football: "We didn't know for certain if this day would actually occur," said Shephard. "At one point, I thought we'd be out here lifting weights all day, and that's it. Getting a chance to go out and create, and develop and help these young men achieve their goals. I'm doing great. I'm glad we are where we are."

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