Scrimmage will help determine top reserves at cornerback for Purdue

Quick Count: Day 7

In seniors Da’Wan Hunte and Josh Okonye, Purdue can feel comfortable in knowing it has a couple veteran defensive backs who have played previously a high level.

And the pair is likely to be opening-game starters at cornerback.

But the reserves aren’t yet sorted out, with the Boilermakers mixing in many to try to figure the rest of their two-deep. Saturday’s scrimmage, players think, will go a long way toward determining who wins out. It’s important, because Purdue wants to be as deep as possible and needs to find out who’s up to the task.

“(Coach Jeff Brohm) wants to be able to rotate everybody, one deep, two deep and he’d like to go three deep,” said senior cornerback Kamal Hardy, one of those who is in the mix. “But we can’t do that if we don’t produce on the field, so that’s why Coach (Derrick) Jackson is on us about doing the right things and paying attention to detail and alignment/assignment and making plays.”

Who is not yet decided. The Boilermakers have options, players like Hardy and junior Antonio Blackmon, who might be getting the most second-team repetitions, plus sophomore Josh Hayes. And although the two healthy freshmen — Dedrick Mackey and Kenneth Major — are working primarily with the 3s, it appears, it’s not unreasonable to think one (or both) could make a move.

“We have a lot of guys who don’t have a lot of game experience,” Jackson said following practice on Friday morning, Purdue’s seventh of training camp. “But when you watch them in practice, I think they’re flying around well, they’re competing at a very high level, which is the expectation.

“There are some nuances in terms of our scheme and details that aren’t where we want them to be yet, but I don’t expect them to be as clean as they have to at this point in time. But certainly, they’re making strides, which I think will lead to a good season for us if we can keep building on what we’ve been doing the first seven practices.”

Purdue has wants for the position. It wants players to properly execute their technique, which has been a work in progress since the spring as the Boilermakers transition from a man-heavy scheme to a primary Cover 3. Not only that systematic change, though, but coaches also want players to deliver in making plays.

That includes reserves. The expectations are high.

“You want to make sure you can gain the trust of your coach,” Blackmon said. “Trusting your assignments, alignments, techniques, stuff like that, and being able to make plays. They want to see production, so (Saturday) is a chance to show that you can produce as a player.”

Experience, as little as it is, does help, says Blackmon. The walk-on, who mixes in at nickel, as well, played in 11 games as a reserve last season, ending with nine tackles, an interception and a breakup. Hayes had 13 tackles in nine games, with a pick, while Hardy played in only the opener before suffering a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. Junior Tim Cason started seven games last year, but his status for ’17 is in question due to academics, per Brohm.

“Of course, it’s always better to have that game experience,” Hunte said, “but those guys have been doing a good job just by listening and just trying to come out here and make sure they work at the techniques and learning the defense. These guys have been pushing me, just by their level of play.

“I’m just excited for those young guys and the guys who are on the come-up because I was in the same situation.”

Perhaps a freshmen will get an opportunity. Jackson, a former assistant at Wake Forest, says he’s played a true freshman in three of his last four seasons. He calls Mackey “a natural” athlete at the position, while Major has the physicality to match up.

Jacob Abrams, the third rookie corner, is out during camp with a knee injury.

“I have no fear about playing those guys if they’re mentally prepared and physically prove they can do what’s necessary,” Jackson said. “They’ve proven that physically they can run with the guys at this level, proven they can tackle at this level in the things we’ve done live. And now it’s a matter of how much of the defense they can learn and be detailed so it doesn’t put us at risk. If they can do those things, then they’re going to have the same opportunity of the guys who are ahead of them, because that’s what we promised them, a chance to compete for playing time.”

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