Purdue remaining energized halfway through spring practice
Practice has started bright and early for Purdue football this spring. The early start times were done by design, according to the self admitted "morning person" and head coach Ryan Walters, allowing the Boilermakers to get the most out of each day.
"I set the schedule, so obviously I'm a morning person," Walters said. "I just think it's good to get up and get to work while you're alert, fresh and already energized. Then you go to class and probably get more out of the day. Then, come back and there's more time in the afternoon to get some extra work."
That early work has been parlayed into success during the first seven practices for the Boilermakers this spring. Walters and the staff haven't been relegated to dealing with poor effort or attitude problems. Instead, they are able to work on technique and improvement on the field.
"These guys love playing football. I have no question about toughness or physicality or effort," Walters said. "We haven't had a practice where there's been a big letdown from an energy and an enthusiasm standpoint."
That energy has had some drawbacks, however, as Walters and company have had to reel in guys getting a little too excited on the practice field.
"Because this team is tough, because they are physical, and because guys are competing for spots, sometimes we got to understand that we're practicing each other and learn how to take care of each other with pads on. A physical portion of practice doesn't mean I'm trying to clean up a teammate because we're not playing against anybody right now," Walters said.
Despite having to slow things down throughout the first half of spring ball, Purdue has remained relatively healthy by working smarter not harder to stave off wear and tear months away from the season opener.
"We are pretty healthy. Also being smart with guys. You're thinking about it like the NFL and you kind of have to change your mind frame. You know, it's not the same college football that it was 10 years ago. It's a new day and age, so we are being smart with some guys. The goal is to have guys healthy and feeling good and understanding what we're doing schematically in the fall on Saturdays and so I don't want to waste wear and tear in spring ball," Walters said.
Going hand in hand with the health status of the roster, Purdue is already light years ahead of where it was this time last year, with 102 players on campus compared to just 60 last spring. Getting more transfers and true freshmen in the building in January is something Walters hopes will evolve into trust when the fall rolls around.
"To me, that's how you get in tight games, is being able to rely on the guy next to you. Hopefully having that spring, it'll build a lot of trust and respect within the locker room," Walters said.
Walters has also used Matt Painter and Purdue basketball's run to the Final Four as motivation to spur belief in his ball club, preaching the attitude of: If they can do it, why can't we?
"It just shows you what kind of potential Purdue has from an athletic standpoint. From our perspective, like if basketball can do it like why can't we do it? Obviously, this is a tight knit community in and of itself and Purdue is one of no egos and everybody being on the same page. It is like a brotherhood and so it's been awesome to see Painter and those guys go to work," Walters said.