So far, so good.
That's the assessment of Jeff Brohm after three practices. The sixth-year Purdue coach put his team through the paces inside Ross-Ade Stadium on Friday night for the third camp practice during Fan Day. And, it was a good day for the offense.
"The offense probably had one of the better days in the first three practices, which it's gonna go back and forth," said Brohm. "But, there's a lot to learn from it. We're still playing some young guys in the secondary and it shows. We've got to get those guys better. And we've got to get the other ones healthy and back on the field."
Redshirt sophomore receivers Collin Sullivan and Auburn transfer Elijah Canion continue to shine. It helped playing vs. a banged-up secondary.
"This was Elijah's best day of practice so far," said Brohm. "He's a big target. Over 6-4. He's got a big catch radius,. He has to make sure he utilizes that. He's not getting tremendous separation. That's fine. He's got to make contested catches and use his body and high point the ball. And he did that today.
"I think he's got to be a red zone target, he's got to have the ability to run some slants and some sideline routes and just use his height."
And Central Michigan running back transfer Kobe Lewis is getting up to speed after missing 2021 with a knee injury.
"Kobe got better as the day went on," said Brohm. "When you're a running back and running through traffic, it takes a little while.
"He started off a little rusty, but all of us were rusty. But I do think he's capable. He works really hard for us. He cares and wants to be a really good player and I think he is going to continue to get better and better with a lot of repetitions in practice."
The secondary remains without three cornerbacks: Cory Trice (knee), Jamari Brown (hip) and Kansas State transfer Tee Denson (double sports hernia), who all are coming off surgery. And safety Sanoussi Kane also remains out (hip) after surgery, too.
"I think they're close," said Brohm. "Those guys had offseason surgery and a couple of them are things that take a good six-plus months (to heal). So, we knew it would come down to right around the August 1 date (start of camp).
"They're in pads, they're doing things full speed at times. You've got to be careful you don't overload them with volume too soon and have setbacks. Two of them (Trice and Brown) have played a ton for us and done really well. We think Tee can do a really good job, but he just hasn't been out there.
On Kane: "Sanoussi is making progress," said Brohm. "I'm not putting anything past him. Target day (to be back) was the first game at the earliest, somewhere in the season, but I wouldn't put anything past him. But, we're just kind of managing his volume right now and we'd love to have them out there. He's a really good player for us."
Purdue did get true freshman nose tackle Mo Omonode back after he missed the first two practices with an injury.
Redshirt freshman tight end Drew Biber has a boot on dealing with a leg injury; he should be back in "a couple of weeks," according to Brohm.
Three true freshmen are out: OL Andre' Oben is recovering from shoulder surgery in March. WR Curts Deville is out 6-8 months after hip surgery this summer. CB Jordan Buchanan may be out for the season after shoulder surgery this summer.
Purdue will be in shells for tomorrow afternoon's practice. The team will move into full pads in the sixth practice on Aug. 9.
Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?
Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2022. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
