Purdue Football - From Golf to Football, the NAIA to the B10
Not all paths to college football are the same. Some, frankly, don't even make sense. Cue Purdue offensive lineman, Ben Farrell, who caught his first sustained minutes in Purdue's game against Ohio State after further injuries pushed Purdue deeper down the offensive line depth chart.
In the immediate, it's not too far a stretch to imagine the bearded big man making the leap to the Big Ten, even if he was playing for a small Indiana Wesleyan school last year. Transfers like that happen all the time. It's his final year of eligibility, he's gotten bigger, more athletic, and he reached out towards Purdue to see if there was a spot for him on the roster.
Turns out there was, and now, because of those injuries and the work he's put it, he got to do something he never imagined possible.
"No," Farrell answered after being asked after practice on Monday if he'd considered the possibility of playing against a team like Ohio State. "No, that wasn't even on my radar doing something like that."
Not bad for a someone who started college as a... golfer.
"I never really got recruited out of high school," Farrell told media on Tuesday. "My dad was a softball coach at a small school in Grand Rapids. So I got free tuition cause my dad worked there. So I might as well go play some golf."
Farrell's golf game was decent enough, at his prime he said his handicap was as low as a 5 or 6, but it didn't scratch that same itch as football.
"Meeting my friends at Thanksgiving break my first semester there," he went on to tell us. "They're like 'you gotta play football.' I was like I could golf after school's over. So might as well go back to football. Miss the guys. Miss the brotherhood it creates."
Farrell's transfer to Purdue has caught Purdue in an interesting time in its program. Ryan Walters took over the team this season, and the roster faced major overhaul, especially at the offensive line. It's given Farrell an opportunity to not just fill a roster spot, but to make a difference on the field.
The stakes are higher in the Big Ten, and the talent is more than Farrell dealt with at Indiana Wesleyan, but the senior, maybe because of his journey to get here, has only enjoyed it.
"It's been a blast," he said. "I wasn't really sure, for real, when coming into here, just know what a difference it is, but it's been really good."
Farrell won't just be a good story going forward. He'll be part of a rebuilt, restructured, and wounded offensive line that's looking to get four more wins to get Purdue bowl eligible. It starts with a road test against Nebraska on Saturday.
Purdue is coming off a bye week, a blessing to someone whose body isn't used to banging against defensive lineman the size and strength of Ohio State's.
"Good time to recover," Farrell said of his bye week.
Purdue appears to have gotten key pieces back and right with Hudson Card feeling like himself again and Purdue hopes to get Tyrone Tracy Jr. back at running back. It'll be just in time as Purdue has to go into one of the most hostile environments in the Big Ten.
Farrell could look to some of the lessons from his time on the golf course to help manage that atmosphere and anticipation.
"Whenever I'm over hyped, over worked, really stressing out, I definitely think about just going and playing a quick 9," Farrell said. "It helps me calm, helps me relax a little bit."