MORE: Training camp coverage

Go ahead. Ask Brennan Thieneman about the gruesome ankle injury he suffered in the Music City Bowl last season. He doesn’t mind talking about it.

“If you saw the replay, I cut back and slid and the ankle caught under me and twisted the opposite way,” said the junior safety. “I broke that and tore ligaments on both sides. Pretty much the ankle was shattered. It was a long recovery. Treatment every day, rehab, it’s back and feeling really good.”

Now, with training camp grinding on, Thieneman is feeling fine.

“I’d say it’s 95, 99 percent healed,” he said.

That’s good news for Purdue. The Boilermakers need the savvy Thieneman brings to the field as it looks to tighten the screws on a defense that too often sprung leaks in 2018. Thieneman will be a key cog in the back-end of secondary that drips with potential, as he’ll team with senior Navon Mosley and freshman Jalen Graham to give Purdue a promising trio at safety.

“We are doing OK,” said co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter. “We have a ways to go. We have good competition in the room. Guys are getting better each day.”

And that includes Thieneman. He was called to step up late last season when his older brother, Jacob, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Brennan Thieneman started the final three games of 2018 in what was a baptism by fire, finishing with 33 tackles and three passes broken up before getting hurt vs. Auburn. Now, he will play a bigger role.

"Primarily strong safety coming down hill on cover-three stuff, playing curl, flat and organizing the defense,” he said. “Helping new guys out who aren’t familiar with their roles.”

Poindexter has liked what he has seen from the 6-1, 210-pound Thieneman, a walk-on from Noblesville, Ind.

"He played quite a bit for us last year, started three or four games,” said Poindexter. “He is another veteran who knows what to expect from me and he knows the young kids.”

Graham is one of those “young kids” Poindexter is talking about.

“It’s great because every play in the spring I was looking at Mosley, asking him (questions),” said Graham. “Same thing with Brennan. When you aren’t completely sure, you can ask them. In the spring, there were way more questions (than now).”

The entire secondary needs to button up its defense vs. the deep pass.

“A year ago, we gave up way too many deep balls,” said Poindexter. “I was taught a long time ago: You win games up front and you lose them deep. We need to stay on top and make them earn all the points they will score.

“Attention to detail. We put some new stuff in. We are little more detailed-oriented. We try to get them lined up and then play hard. We have to tackle better, read better, there are a lot of things to improve on.”

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Thieneman—a construction engineering major—is ready to do his part after interning this summer with the general contractor on the Los Angeles Stadium project. Thieneman’s area of work? The roof.

“Yep, I was on it,” he said.

Now, Thieneman is focused on helping Purdue improve a pass defense that ranked 127th in the nation (284.7 ypg) as he also deals with the trauma of coming back from a severe injury. Is he worried or apprehensive about his ankle?

"Mentally, no,” he said. “Physically, I was worried around the summer time. I assumed I’d be back for camp. In May and June, I was away at an internship, so I had to rehab on my own. At one point, I was worried if I would be ready. But it has been healing every day and is going well right now.”

Yes, his ankle has been sore after practice. But with some ice and rehab work, Thieneman has been good to go each day this August.

“The (doctors) said I would be good running-wise, but they weren’t sure how I would feel,” said Thieneman. “The trainer thought I would have to take plays out, but I haven’t had to do that.”

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