Purdue defense building for year two jump, says Kevin Kane

The year one to year two jump has been kind to Ryan Walters in recent history, turning Illinois into one of the top defenses in the country in his second year as defensive coordinator with the Illini.

Now, Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane will look to do the same in West Lafayette.

That pursuit began back in January, with strength coach Kiero Small leading the charge in the weight room and winter workouts, which has trickled into early success during spring ball for the Boilermakers.

"He kind of laid the groundwork of this is gonna be a player led team. We're obviously going to be there to do what we need to do. You see a lot more ownership from the players over the program right now, which is really cool to see," Kane said.

Heading into year two of the Walters era, the players and coaches both know what to expect out of each other. Now that the getting to know you phase has been completed, it is a different vibe in West Lafayette during round two of spring ball.

"So now, everybody kind of understands the standard of what we operate with and who we are as coaches and as players and as people. So, I think that part is out of the way," Kane said. "A lot more detail, the specifics of each individual and player and position I think we were able to get better at."

Purdue is expected to have 4-5 starters reprise their role with the first team defense, while Kane and company are set to usher in another new cast of contributors, similar to last season. Building cohesion and developing the returning players and the incoming talent is the top priority for Kane this off-season.

"Obviously we want to see a lot of improvement from guys that were here from the past and we've added a lot of new faces to this defense. So, coordination and building that unity, that cohesion with everybody, new guys, old guys while still taking stuff from year one to year two. That's kinda the goal right now," Kane said.

The Boilermakers brought in five transfers on the defensive side of the ball this off-season, three of which have already stood out to the Purdue defensive coordinator. Cornerbacks Nyland Green and Kyndrich Breedlove, along with rush end CJ Madden have gotten off to strong starts to their respective Boilermaker careers, according to Kane. Defensive lineman Jamarius Dinkins and rush ends Shitta Sillah and Jireh Ojata also figure to factor into Purdue's rotation at their positions.

Of the key returners, Kydran Jenkins has already cemented himself as one of the faces of the defense, but will have a slightly different role in 2024 as he looks to build on his breakout 2023 campaign.

Jenkins has made the move from edge rusher to inside linebacker, where he will have the opportunity to make more plays against the run while also being asked to rush the passer on key downs. The transition is something Kane believes will pay dividends for Jenkins and the Purdue defense as a whole.

"He's an instinctive player first and foremost. I think it's something for him, he became a really big inside linebacker, by going where he's at. Whereas he's kind of an undersized edge guy. Now all sudden he's always a big time inside linebacker," Kane said. "He has a way of finding the ball already. Already can maneuver around blocks and chase the ball down."

Jenkins' move now opens the door for a quartet of edge rushers to grab hold of starting roles for Joe Dineen this spring. CJ Madden, Will Heldt, and Shitta Sillah make up the key members of Purdue's outside linebacker spot, with all three having an opportunity to log major minutes in 2024.

"We've been really happy with those guys' development. Those three guys have kind of set themselves apart right now," Kane said.

The other key returner and All-American defensive back Dillon Thieneman is poised to take the reigns as Purdue's leader on the back end while building off his all-time debut campaign as a rookie. Kane believes Thieneman's work ethic and leadership skills are already rubbing off on the rest of the defense during the spring.

The likes of Nyland Green and Kyndrich Breedlove have also assumed the role of leaders for the Boilermakers' defense despite only being on campus for a few months.

"I think successful people want to around be successful people. Once guys realize that, everybody has success. So, I think when guys are gravitating towards those types of mentalities and work ethics, you get a bunch of successful people in the same room," Kane said.

The energy that Ryan Walters has spoke about several times throughout the spring mixed with an increase in accountability by the players has the Purdue defense looking up at the halfway point of the practice session.

Coming off a year that saw the Boilermakers allow the most points per game in the conference, a switch seems to be flipping for Kevin Kane and his revamped group.

"It's been a physical spring. We've had seven practices and every practice has been physical whether we're in pads or not pads. Guys are putting hands on each other and they're battling and they're competing, which is a good thing," Kane said.