If you've seen Purdue practice during training camp this month, you'd see a coach wearing sweatpants, a sweatshirt with the hood up, and a different practice jersey every day, even when it's a scorching 90 degrees on the Boilermakers' practice field. That man would be cornerbacks coach Sam Carter.
Carter has been one of the most exuberant personalities on the Boilermakers' brand new coaching staff this off-season, alongside associate head coach and wide receivers coach Cory Patterson.
You would think someone that exudes that much energy must be downing a Monster energy drink or some espresso shots every morning to help get him amped up. Not Carter.
"I don't drink coffee. I go to sleep. I work out. No excuse not to have energy," Carter said.
The cheerful cornerbacks coach believes it would be a disservice to his players if he didn't come out everyday and match the energy that the Purdue coaching staff asks of them.
"I tell everybody, my favorite line is 'Trying to bless you, not stress you'. So, it's a blessing to wake up every morning. I believe in don't cheat the kids. We ask those guys to come out with energy because we do practice in the morning. It's our job to bring the energy," Carter said.
Carter's personality isn't just for show. Purdue's cornerbacks see it every day, whether it's on the practice field, in team meetings, or the film room. Carter's players have embraced their coaches style, which has motivated them to keep working hard on the field.
"Coach Carter, he always brings the juice. He's always been an energetic guy. He's always been passionate about what he do, his job. So, that makes players want to go harder. That makes players more passionate. To see that somebody believes in you, wants to see you do good and wants to coach you hard," junior cornerback Markevious Brown said.
Not only has Carter brought a new feel to the cornerback room, but the unit has an entirely different identity from a season ago. The group was revamped over the off-season, with no scholarship players returning from 2022, between exhausting eligibility, heading off to the NFL, or entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
The overhaul included bringing in four players from the transfer portal and a JUCOO product to make up the group in 2023. With a new-look cornerback room, Carter shared that the unit has come together nicely, but the biggest test is still yet to come.
"I think we're still building. I think until game day, it's gonna come until you see those guys play together," Carter said. "Adversity hasn't hit. So I'm a big believer in when adversity hits, you see that all those meetings, all those times we went out to eat, did that stuff help us? I'm excited to see how those guys react when game time comes."
If Purdue is to have success in the secondary this fall, a pair of Power 5 transfers are going to be a big reason why. Marquis Wilson (Penn State) and Markevious Brown (Ole Miss) were two of the Boilermakers' biggest defensive portal additions of the off-season, and are expected to fill the starting spots for Carter to start the year.
Brown was coached by Carter with the Rebels last season and then followed him to West Lafayette. The third year cornerback was set to compete for a starting role in Oxford, but opted to take his talents to the Big Ten.
Wilson was in a similar boat as Brown, the former Nittany Lion found himself behind Joey Porter Jr. and Kalen King on the depth chart in recent seasons, serving primarily as a reserve during his career. Wilson played in 37 games over four years at Penn State, racking up 55 total tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Carter has high hopes for each of the newcomers during their first year in West Lafayette.
"I love them," Carter said. "Both of those guys are competitive. That's why those two are the guys that we went into the portal to get. We're glad to have those guys compete each and every day."
With all of the incoming talent at the position, the group does not have a clear leader. Wilson shared on Thursday that he holds the position by default due to his past experience, but is embracing the role with Purdue.
"Being an older guy, we got a lot of transfers. I'm the one that really played in the Big Ten. So even if I wanted to or not, I just got the most experience and kind of some of the most knowledge in the room. So just the leadership role kind of got thrown on me and I adapted and I definitely take pride in it now," Wilson said on Thursday.
The other veteran Power 5 transfer Purdue brought in this off-season has some question marks surrounding his availability. Salim Turner-Muhammad, who joined the program after four years at Stanford, has been sidelined for all of training camp as he deals with a lingering hamstring injury.
Carter shared that there is not a long term concern about Turner-Muhammad and that they are excited to get him back on the field soon.
"The kid is out here every day and we can't wait to get him back. We're excited to have him," Carter said.
Turner-Muhammad, Wilson and Brown are set as Purdue's top three cornerbacks heading into September, but Carter has a few up-and-comers at his disposal. That starts with JUCO product Botros Alisandro, who comes to West Lafayette from Snow College in Utah.
Carter took a trip out to Utah to watch Alisandro practice earlier this year and offered him on that spot. Along with the measurables and film, it's the heart and motivation of Alisandro that impresses his new coach.
"When we got out to go see him, the kid competed. The thing you teach any kid on this field is to have this [heart] and he has that," Carter said of Alisandro. "He's grateful for the opportunity and that's the best part. You get guys that transfer or come in that's not grateful. He's grateful for everything---I'm just so happy that we were able to get them because someone else would have got him and then we'd have to play against him."
The Boilermakers have a trio of true freshmen also entering the fold for Carter. The most notable of which is Braxton Myers. Myers was a four-star recruit in the class of 2023, signing with Ole Miss before entering the transfer portal following spring practice.
Alongside Myers as first-year players are Derrick Rogers Jr. and Zion Gunn. The two 2023 recruits both provide depth options for Purdue if injuries start to stack up at the position. Redshirts are possible for both players.
Carter has built the room to his liking, with the help of Ryan Walters and defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, and now has to put the pieces together on Saturdays for a group that could be instrumental in Purdue's success this season.
