Plummer? O'Connell? Burton? QB job up for grabs with no decision imminent

Who will be Purdue’s season-opening starting quarterback? That’s a big question that looms over the 2020 squad as it preps for the season opener on Oct. 24 at home vs. Iowa.

One thing is certain: The No. 1 signal-caller won’t be named “Elijah Sindelar” for the first time since 2016, when David Blough was the Game One starter. Sindelar was the top choice coming out of camp each of the last three seasons—all under Jeff Brohm, who liked the big arm of the 6-5 Sindelar.

Sindelar could have returned for a sixth season in 2020, but he opted to move on with his life after battling injury each of the last three seasons. Sindelar got married in the spring and is working as an engineer.

Now, Purdue turns the page. And Brohm has some veteran options to choose from. Redshirt sophomore Jack Plummer, redshirt junior Aidan O'Connell and redshirt junior Austin Burton, a grad transfer from UCLA, are the main competitors. How soon could a No. 1 man be named?

"You know, we just started camp, so we have had those practices leading up into camp," said co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm after practice on Thursday. "But, you know, I don't see any decision coming until at least after we get our two scrimmages in here the next two weeks. And then we'll see what happens after that."

Plummer is the most seasoned option. He is back after starting six games in 2019 in place of an injured Sindelar (concussion/shoulder). The 6-5 Plummer suffered his own injury, going down with an ankle in the ninth game of the season.

O’Connell took over and started the final three games. And the redshirt junior earned positive reviews. The 6-3 O’Connell lacks niftiness but has pocket presence and a good arm.

Burton is a wild card in the race. He embodies the combination of arm/athletic ability Jeff Brohm seems to be leaning toward at the position. But Burton--a native of Newton, Mass.,--seemingly has a steep learning curve. Still, he has impressed and could be a factor. Burton played in six games at UCLA with one start--all last season.

“I feel like we've made good strides,” Jeff Brohm said. “Adding Austin Burton to the mix, I think has really added to the competition. He’s stepped in and done some good things. He's also played some football as well--maybe not as much as the others--but he's played some football against talented teams.”

Something else to consider: Purdue could play two quarterbacks early in the season if there is little separation between competitors.

"It's always a consideration for us," said Brian Brohm. "We will, you know, see how it goes and see where this competition leads us. And if one guy maybe has different strengths than the other, if a two-quarterback system makes sense, we definitely can do that. But we're not going to pigeonhole ourselves into having to be all one guy or having to (play) two quarterbacks. We will do what's best for the team."

Jack Plummer could be considered the presumptive No. 1 quarterback, based on his experience edge over the competition.

The Gilbert, Ariz., native made six starts last season before an ankle injury vs. Nebraska in the ninth game ended his year. It was an injury similar to what David Blough suffered vs. Illinois in 2017.

"Ankle's good, 100 percent," said Plummer after practice on Thursday. "It really felt like 100, 100 percent probably in March, right after we got sent home for spring break and I started feeling really, really good."

Plummer went to work back in Arizona, trying to improve his game. What did he want to get better at?

"Be able to make throws on time in the pocket accurately ... be able to get from the first read progression all the way down to third or fourth guy quickly and on time, all while keeping calm in the pocket."

Plummer hopes it gives him an edge in winning the job.

"I think when you put a bunch of good quarterbacks together in one room, naturally, they're just gonna want to compete on every throw they make," said Plummer. "We're keeping charts on the board of who is doing what. You see someone make a good play in this period, you have to make a good play. But at the same time, we're also cheering for each other.

"But overall, I think competition makes us all better."

Aidan O'Connell enjoyed an improbable rise from walk-on fourth-stringer in training camp to starter last season. And he turned heads in three starts and by leading game-winning drives vs. Nebraska and at Northwestern after Jack Plummer was lost for the season with an ankle injury.

Now, O'Connell would like to win the job in camp. But the Long Grove, Ill., product knows he needs to improve his footwork to have a chance to be the No. 1 man.

"I don't know if it'll ever be a huge strength of mine, but I'm trying to (improve my feet)," O'Connell said after practice on Thursday. "Just get better at that everyday, working with the strength staff, the training staff, to be more flexible and hopefully more mobile."

How would O'Connell describe the competition?

"It's all friendly," he said. "From the outside, you could probably think that it's a rivalry and it's cutthroat. But in reality, we're all friends ... you can't help but become friends and that's what's happened in the room. We're just a group of guys who love the game and are becoming friends and working towards a common goal."

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