More from Day 4: What stood out ($)

Early last season, it was Purdue's safeties and, to an extent, the back half of the defense that was considered a step behind the front seven.

This spring, it's nearly a flip-flop with starting safeties Jacob Thieneman and Navon Mosley back and No. 3 safety — and nickel back — Simeon Smiley roving, too. Purdue still has to replace its two starting cornerbacks, but defensive play caller Nick Holt said last week, he likes how the secondary is shaping up.

So does, it seems, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter.

"My guys are just more experienced, so they have to help the young guys in front of them, speed up their learning curve," Poindexter said Monday. "We should be better right now, the first four days, and we should look like we know what we're doing. But hopefully by the end of the spring, we're all meshing and jelling together."

Poindexter said he's seen the experience show up so far this spring with how the safeties have been able to read formations and anticipate plays, which has allowed the players to make more plays on the ball, too, in Purdue's primarily zone defense.

It's been helpful, too, that all three of the top three can play any of the safety spots, Poindexter said, and that versatility and experience of understanding the defense can produce dividends when other players maybe aren't completely sound.

Poindexter realizes that's the state of Purdue's defensive rebuild right now, and he's intent on using all 15 practices this spring to make strides.

"In my room, we've kind of got our identity. But they're going to have to be part of creating the whole defensive identity," Poindexter said. "Even in the back end, we're going to have two new starting corners who didn't play as much as the two starters we had a year ago. So we've just got a whole defensive team chemistry, team identity, and it might take into training camp (to develop).

"But we know how Coach Holt calls it — aggressive — and the style of play we want to play. So the kids are going to buy in. We're going to coach the same way we coached last year — and try to amp it up even a little bit more."

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