Purdue newcomer Neal making big strides; Thursday notebook

More from Thursday's practices: Afternoon analysis ($) | Morning analysis ($)

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — In the summer, Jalen Neal could complete only four “half gassers,” sideline-to-sideline sprints on the football field.

He was woefully short, hitting only about a third of what Purdue wanted.

But when the conditioning test came just before the start of training camp about six weeks later, the JUCO transfer not only surpassed his previous four, but he nailed the required 18. It was a definite sign that the offensive lineman is on the upswing.

“I would say my improvement here as jumped out of the roof compared to what I had even thought (possible),” said Neal, a first-year Boilermaker who is competing with Matt McCann for the starting right tackle.

“I’m just fighting through everything. Getting used to this weather, going against new guys and just pushing myself. When you first come out here, everything isn’t going to be easy. They tell me from the get-go, this is position isn’t just going to be handed to you, so when I come out here, I’m definitely willing to fight and that’s what I’m going to keep doing until we figure out who the starting right tackle is.”

Neal has had a steep learning curve. The Scottsdale Community College transfer had played only two years of offensive line before coming to Purdue this summer, after having played defensive line before.

But McCann got first-team snaps at right tackle for the first few practices, before Neal got his opportunity. And they’ve rotated since. There’s a lot to like about Neal, with him being a good athlete at 6-foot-8, 315 pounds.

The nuances of the position, however, have been a challenge. At times, Neal hasn’t struck hard enough with his hands, when fighting pass rushing defensive lineman. And he’s not used his footwork in the running game quite as well as what’s desired.

Yet, Neal’s making incremental improvements.

“I think he’s doing well,” Coach Darrell Hazell said after Thursday’s second practice in DePauw University. “I think he’s better in pass protection right now than he is in run blocking. He’s so long, it’s hard to get around him. He’s pretty athletic for as big as he is. He’s able to stay on his feet and run guys up the field.

“Obviously, he still has to continue to learn double-teams and getting off to the second level and how to be more physical at the point of attack. But he’s going to be good.”

Neal said it’s been an adjustment to playing right tackle, after he had mainly been on the left side at Scottsdale. The right requires more versatility, needing to be better in run blocking, where as a left tackle can concentrate more on blocking the QB’s blindside.

“I’ll go work on my own, do my own extra things, so I know what I have to keep doing to improve,” he said.

Neal enjoys the competition with McCann, saying the two are pushing each other but also being complimentary.

“I’ll go up to him and he’ll come up to me: ‘Good job out there.’ We keep trying to push each other,” he said. “It’s not going to be given to anybody. We both have to fight for this position and I don’t want it to be handed to me. I want us to both keep fighting until Coach (Darrell) Funk tells us who is the starter.”

It seems like it will be one of the two, even though a third — senior Cameron Cermin — was expected to be in the mix, as well. But Cermin hasn’t taken a snap at right, instead working mainly at left tackle, center and occasionally guard.

“We’ll have two tackles there,” Hazell said of right tackle, referring to Neal and McCann. “Coach Funk and I talked about it last night; it’s a good problem to have, those two are battling it out at the right tackle spot. … Both of them can play.”

Jake Replogle had been hearing some rumors, that Purdue would be on the road for its first two-a-day.

So when Hazell told the players Wednesday night, it probably wasn’t a huge surprise, especially considering they’ve made similar trips over the years to St. Joseph’s and Wabash.

Thursday brought them to Greencastle to visit Division III DePauw. Hazell says he likes the trips for a couple reasons.

“You get them away and break the monotony of just being in one place for one such a long period of time,” the fourth-year coach said. “And you get them used to traveling and adjusting to an environment that’s not your own. Obviously, we have to go on the road in big games this year and I want these guys to get a feel for adjusting quickly.”

The Tigers have a nice setup, with a natural grass practice field — that’s where Purdue held its first session Thursday — and a FieldTurf playing surface in Blackstock Stadium, which the Boilermakers were on for the second.

“I think it’s just a good experience for the team,” Replogle said. “We’re coming together, we’re on a bus for an hour-and-a-half, sitting next to a guy and getting to know people you’re not usually around. As a team, it brings us closer together and it’s also a fun trip. Being with the guys, the whole team, it’s the best thing about camp. You don’t have to worry about anything else, just football.”

It was hot, however. Temperatures reached the lower 90s in the afternoon, with the heat index around 102. And on the artificial turf, it wouldn’t be surprising if the temp climbed to around 110.

Scorching.

“The heat is good, it’s good this time of year,” Hazell said. “You’ve just got to be smart. We’ve been very fortunate with injuries, nothing significant. Last year at this time, we had lost three or four guys to significant injury. The coaching staff has done a good job protecting their guys. I told the coaching staff in our staff meeting ‘It’s our job to protect the health of our players,’ and that’s key.”

• Running back Richie Worship was in pads Thursday, taking part in individual drills in the afternoon practice but not in team periods.

The redshirt freshman was hit in the back on Wednesday, forcing him to the sideline. Hazell called it a soft tissue injury, one that wouldn’t keep Worship sidelined long.

• No update on Evyn Cooper, the defensive back who hasn’t been at training camp.

Hazell, who said Taver Johnson talked to Cooper Tuesday, simply called it a “decision that needs to be made.”

But it should come within a week-and-a-half, at the latest.

“Obviously school starts on the 22nd and we’ll have an answer for sure by then. … We’ll see where it goes in the next couple days.”

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