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For the first time since the 2016 season opener, Purdue’s starting quarterback won’t be named “Elijah Sindelar.”
Sindelar could have returned for a sixth season—the NCAA granted him one for time missed in 2018 with injury—but he opted to leave campus and earn a living with his electrical engineering degree. Too bad for Purdue. Sindelar knew the offense and had an NFL arm. After the first two games of 2019, Sindelar was leading the nation in most passing categories. No doubt, his absence hurt, as he threw for 978 yards and nine TDs in 2019.
But Sindelar suffered a concussion and broken clavicle in 2019 that limited him to four games. He also dealt with knee issues earlier in his career. So, instead of playing a sixth season in West Lafayette, Sindelar has walked away. Now what?
THE SKINNY: The good news is this—Purdue looks to have two good options in junior Aidan O’Connell and sophomore Jack Plummer.
Jeff Brohm got extended looks at Plummer and O’Connell last year after Sindelar was lost for the season with a shoulder injury vs. Minnesota. And, each showed promise.
Plummer is a football junkie who checks all the boxes from an athletic standpoint. He also is smart. But he needs to develop some pocket savvy and patience while also improving his accuracy. And is he OK after breaking an ankle vs. Nebraska in the ninth game of the year and missing the rest of the year? Plummer looked good in the limited practices media could watch in the spring. The Arizona native made six starts in 2019, completing 59.8 percent of his passes (144-of-241) for 1,603 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed 62 times for 56 yards.
O’Connell enjoyed a storybook ascent last year that was worthy of a Hollywood script. A walk-on who began the year fourth on the depth chart, O’Connell ended up starting the final three games after Plummer went down, hitting 62.8 percent of his attempts (103-of-164) for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. On top of showing a good arm, O’Connell displayed poise and confidence in engineering game-winning drives vs. Nebraska and Northwestern.
Jeff Brohm has said there is no No. 1 signal-caller as of now. Look for Plummer and O’Connell to battle in camp. And, perhaps the staff will play both quarterbacks early in the season.
Redshirt freshman Paul Piferi is the No. 3 man. He looks the part, but Piferi is a long ways from being game-ready. That could create an opportunity for incoming freshman Michael Alaimo to come in and be the third-string signal-caller.
And then there is the X-factor: A grad transfer. Brohm has said he would like to add a veteran arm to the quarterback room. So far, he has had no takers. But, stay tuned. The issue for Purdue is it can’t guarantee an unencumbered path to the No. 1 job, something grad transfers typically desire.
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