Day 1: Purdue football training camp notebook

MORE: Gold and Black Radio Podcast--5 observations from Day One practice | Deep-dive analysis of Practice No. 1

Purdue opened training camp on Thursday. And all eyes were on the offensive line. The unit is under much scrutiny as it looks to find two guards and a center. In fact, the line may hold the key to success for the offense in 2019.

When the No. 1 offense came out for the first time, it wasn’t a shock to see senior Grant Hermanns at left tackle or sophomore Viktor Beach at center or even redshirt freshman Jimmy McKenna at left guard. The surprises? Senior Matt McCann was at right guard and redshirt freshman Will Bramel was at right tackle.

McCann had been primarily at tackle during his career, though he had played some guard. Bramel never ran consistently with the first team in the spring at any spot.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Jeff Brohm. “We have to make sure we put them in game situations as much as we can. They have to be able to take the field Game One confident they can play, produce and do it at high level."

The staff feels pretty confident in three players who will be in the mix: Hermanns, McCann and Bramel.

“And there are about seven others fighting for two spots,” said Brohm.

Stay tuned.

The first practice was notable for who was missing: receiver David Bell, defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal and running back Richie Worship. Neal (knee) and Worship (knee) both had known issues. In fact, Worship wasn’t expected to be ready. But not having Bell and Neal was a surprise.

"(Bell) has a hamstring issue we want to make sure we get healed," said Brohm. "I know he’s eager to get back. With David, we have been going with a slow, conservative pace. We will probably keep doing that. I would hope in the next week.

"Lorenzo, probably will be a little longer than we initially thought. We are looking at maybe mid-camp.

“Richie, we are going at his pace. That one could go first game, midseason … I don’t know. It just depends on how he progresses and how he feels.”

Ben Holt was hurt over the summer but took part today.

“Ben is a tough kid,” said Brohm. “He can practice hurt. He goes hard. We have to kind of pull the reins back on him because he always wants to go. He got over his injury very fast. Even though he isn’t fully healed, he did some very good things today.”

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Plenty freshmen saw the field on a day when the squad just worked out in helmets and pants.

End George Karlaftis remains on the first-team defense, as he was during spring camp. He is the only true freshman starting on offense or defense. Marvin Grant worked on the second-team with Jalen Graham at safety. Tackle Steven Faucheux saw lots of time on the No. 2 defense.

“When you are out here with only helmets on, you can’t truly tell up front what you truly have,” said Brohm. “I know at receiver, Mershawn Rice and Milton Wright defiantly stood out as guys who made plays. Our two young tight ends have a chance to do some special things.

“There are some new guys who will have a chance. I like our freshman class. We are gonna give them every opportunity to play."

The tight ends may have been most impressive: Garrett Miller and Kyle Bilodeau. It may be difficult to keep them off the field.

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Purdue’s 2019 captains are tackle Grant Hermanns, tight end Brycen Hopkins and quarterback Elijah Sindelar on offense. On defense, they are tackle Lorenzo Neal, linebacker Markus Bailey and safety Navon Mosley.

“It is always important, especially when you have so much youth on the team, that the captains take charge of the team,” said Brohm. “It’s important to all our players when those guys talk, they shut up and listen. In all reality, your best teams are teams that are coached by the players, guys that wanna win and it means something to them.

"I told our guys yesterday, the difference between a championship team and the other teams isn’t so much talent, it’s a mind-set that we will find a way to win and do whatever it takes to get it done.”

For the first time since Brohm has been Purdue coach, there is no quarterback battle: Elijah Sindelar is the unquestioned No. 1.

“I think Elijah will take good command of the team,” said Brohm. “He has a big arm and has played some good football. At other times, he has had a deficiency in turning the ball over, not making good decisions. And I think he understands those are the things he has to correct. But they are correctable. I do think he can be very efficient for us and run this offense very well.”

Jack Plummer and Aidan O’Connell are the Nos. 2 and 3 quarterbacks, respectively, as sophomore Nick Sipe continues to deal with a back issue.

“Jack Plummer and Aidan O’Connell are two guys we feel comfortable with,” said Brohm. “They are improving and getting better. They need to be ready when their time is called.”

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