In January 2021, OC Brothers entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in search of greener pastures following a two-year stay at Auburn. Despite being a highly touted prospect and an SEC-level talent, the transfer linebacker still had a long way to go before becoming an impact player in Purdue's defense.

"I definitely feel like when I transferred, I was underdeveloped, and when I got here, the staff that was here at the time really took the time to sit down with me, help me learn the system, and helped me develop as a player," Brothers said.

Brothers gives a lot of credit to the defensive staff under the prior regime for helping guide his development. The fifth-year senior had three linebacker coaches in West Lafayette over the last two seasons. Brad Lambert led the group in 2021, David Elson took over the following year, and Karl Maslowski helped out in 2022 as well.

Alongside the help he received from his coaches, Brothers' linebacker mates also assisted in that developmental process. During his first year in West Lafayette, he was behind Jalen Graham, Kieren Douglas, DaMarcus Mitchell, and Jaylan Alexander. Mitchell and Alexander saw varying levels of time in the NFL this past season, while Graham will likely be selected in the NFL Draft later this month.

"In that first year, I was playing behind Jalen and Kieren, so they took me under their wing and allowed me to, you know, just learn, to fine tune little things that eventually led to last season," Brothers said.

While Brothers learned a lot from all four of his former teammates, it was Douglas and Graham that he created a special connection with. The now-veteran linebacker shared the biggest lesson he learned from the duo.

"Don't let one play define you. Don't let one play dictate how you're going to play the rest of the game. It's football," Brothers said. "You just got to make sure you hold your poise and keep your composure."