It started with Jack Plummer screaming at little brother Will. And it ended in a fight that caught teammates and coaches off-guard.
“He didn’t know what route he was running,” said Jack Plummer, smiling as he told the story. It was his senior year at Gilbert High in Arizona—a Phoenix suburb—and brother Will was a sophomore tight end.
“I told him to run a shallow cross. We broke the huddle, he looked back at me and I said: 'Shallow cross.’ Snap the ball, and he runs a corner route. I just threw the ball out of bounds.”
That’s when it all erupted in a volley of shouts and fists between the Plummer brothers.
“He’s my brother,” said Plummer. “I expect more from him. I expect him to be good. We are super competitive. Our ping pong matches often ended in fights.”
That desire to do things correctly is just one of the traits that makes Purdue’s new No. 1 quarterback an intriguing prospect. And it's why the Boilermakers have to feel good about the potential future of the position.
The redshirt freshman with so much promise will get a chance to show what he’s got with fifth-year senior quarterback Elijah Sindelar out for an extended time with a left clavicle injury.
“It feels good to have confidence in yourself,” Plummer said. “For right now, it’s your team, you get the ‘one’ reps and you are gonna be the guy to lead the team and that’s what you come here for ... ”
Plummer’s time has arrived sooner than expected. He already has offered a glimpse of his potential this year. With Sindelar out with a concussion for the TCU game on September 14, Plummer was thrust into the starting lineup for the first time. He hit 13-of-29 passes for 181 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
And Plummer got extended action last Saturday after Sindelar left the game with the aforementioned shoulder injury in the first quarter and acquitted himself well by connecting on 23-of-41 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Purdue lost, 38-31, but Plummer nearly rallied the Boilermakers to victory after they trailed, 38-17.
Now, Plummer will make his second career start on Saturday when Purdue (1-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) plays at Penn State (4-0, 1-0) in a noon ET kickoff.
“It’s gonna be loud,” said Plummer. “When you are on the field, it’s just a normal football field, 100 yards, 53 yards wide. I think it will just be the noise factor. I don’t think size of the stadium or anything will effect me.”
Plummer is level-headed about his circumstance. He didn't want to get this opportunity because of an injury to Sindelar. But, here he is. Plummer has prepared for this moment for years. He’s a prospect Jeff Brohm hasn’t been shy about heaping praise on. Perhaps it’s because he sees a lot of himself in the 6-5, 220-pound Plummer, a gym rat quarterback who devours football knowledge.
“That stuff kinda always sort of clicked with me,” said Plummer of studying Xs and Os. “That’s kind of my favorite part of the game. The strategy. A lot of people think it’s just a bunch of idiots banging heads. They don’t know the strategy that goes into a game, the preparation, how much time coaches spend in the facility.”
Plummer began to put in prep time as a kid playing NCAA football video games. He’d close his eyes and randomly choose a defense to work against, trying to figure it out as he played. Football mental gymnastics.
“In high school, I would be putting together a game plan, and I would call him up to ask what plays he wanted to run,” said Derek Zellner, Plummer’s coach at Gilbert High. “He would come over to the office and we would discuss it. He could never get enough. A true student of the game.”
Zellner develop an affinity for Plummer quickly. But first, he had to convince Plummer to play for him after arriving at Gilbert prior to Plummer’s sophomore season in 2015.
“They live across the street from school,” said Zellner. “But we have open enrollment in Arizona. Kids can go wherever they want. When I came in 2015, they could have jumped shipped and gone anywhere.”
Zellner told Plummer to go watch some YouTube videos of his former quarterbacks.
“He came back the next day and I asked him if he watched the films,” said Zellner. “I said: ‘What do you think?’ He said: ‘I think I’m gonna like it here.’ Jack bought in when he saw what we were doing.”
Things took off from there. Plummer was pushed prematurely into the starting lineup at Gilbert High after the senior starter got hurt on the third play of the season. Just like that, the sophomore was the No. 1 signal-caller.
“We went 5-5 when Jack was a sophomore,” said Zellner, who has Will Plummer playing quarterback for him this season. The younger Plummer has committed to play for former Purdue linebacker Kevin Sumlin at Arizona. “He took the offense under his wing. We had a tremendous relationship and trust. I started putting more on his plate. If he saw something, I told him to come to me. He is so cerebral. He is one of the smartest, if not the smartest, QB I ever have coached.”
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Mike Giovando knows first-hand about Plummer's smarts. He has been with Plummer the longest. He is a Phoenix, Arizona-based private coach who runs Elev8, a quarterback academy. Giovando has been coaching for 27 years and training quarterbacks for 20. He currently works with over 120 quarterbacks and has 23 of his clients at Division I schools, including Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke, among others.
“When I first saw Jack, he already was 6-1 in seventh grade,” said Giovando. “He was a tall kid.”
The father of one of Giovando’s clients told him about Plummer.
“The kid’s dad says: ‘Hey, we just played this team with a kid who looks like he has a lot of potential,’ said Giovando.
“They passed along his number. We talked and he showed up. A great kid right off the bat. Easy going, hard worker and talented.”
Giovando helped Plummer shorten and hone his delivery, and they also have spent hours in the classroom. The two still work together when Plummer goes back to Arizona for breaks.
“We usually go three times a week,” said Giovando. “We work on mechanics, different throws, all the throws you can think of. We create different scenarios, low angle, off platform, clean pocket, dirty pocket. I saw him execute a lot of throws vs. Minnesota we had worked on.
“I thought he played well vs. TCU. That was a difficult spot to be in for your first start. He looked better against Minnesota. I think Jack has NFL quarterback qualities.”
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Giovando stays in touch when Plummer is at Purdue.
“We talk once a week,” he said. “I stay close to all my guys. We have a good brotherhood among our guys. Spencer Rattler will text Jack.”
Zellner knew he had a Division I prospect. That’s when he asked one of his staff members who played football at Louisville—Brandon Johnson—to reach out to an old teammate: Brian Brohm, Purdue’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“I was studying some quarterbacks at home,” said Brohm. “I got a message from a former teammate Brandon Johnson who I played with back at Louisville. He played in the NFL a long time. He said he was coaching out here in Arizona … I think we have a quarterback you need to look at. I checked him out and said: ‘I think you’re right. That spring, I went out there, saw Jack practice, saw Jack throw, and really liked what I saw.”
Gilbert High wasn’t a powerhouse program. In fact, the program was in a bit of disarray when Zellner arrived. The school has roughly 2,000 students and plays in Arizona’s largest class: 6A. But the fact Gilbert High wasn’t a juggernaut may have helped Purdue get Plummer, who also strongly considered South Carolina.
“He kinda came under the radar a little late and that helped up get him and get on him early,” said Brohm.
Plummer arrived in West Lafayette in time for spring ball in 2018. And, it didn’t take him long to master the playbook.
“This is my fourth semester at Purdue, I know the whole play book,” said Plummer. “That’s one of the things I think I’m good at. I came in here and knew the playbook in the first semester. Now, it’s just kind of more reps and being able to see it. I think I know the playbook pretty well.”
Jeff Brohm likes that. What offensive-minded coach wouldn't? The Boilermaker boss often talks about plays and watching film of all sorts, from NFL to high school, always looking for a play, scheme or formation to give him an edge. Give Brohm game cut-ups, a remote control, dim the lights and let him get to work watching and then writing down ideas.
“Well, that is Jack's strength,” said Jeff Brohm. “He's very intelligent, and yes, he picks things up very quickly and he has a great grasp of what we are doing. He has very good knowledge. You know, the things he just has to work on is just getting some experience out there on the playing field.”
What can Plummer improve on?
“I think driving the football and throwing it with conviction a little bit more can help him,” said Jeff Brohm.
Now, Plummer is focused on getting Purdue back on track.
“Obviously, we have to win,” said Plummer. “We gotta work hard, we gotta watch film, we gotta get better. That’s what we are thinking. We are 1-3. So what? We gotta win the next game. It’s a one-game season. That’s what we always say. Just win the next game.”
And keep improving.
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