More: Coordinator's Corner: Nick Holt ($) | Players appreciate Brohm's approach to bye week | Blough battling new shoulder injury | Coordinator's Corner: Shephard

Analysis ($): Mailbag: Increased roles coming? | Vs.: Which position group needs to make most strides

Dave Steinmetz and Josh Okonye had no guarantees.

They sought out Purdue because its football program offered opportunity.

Offensive tackle Steinmetz wanted to prove he could compete at the FBS level, after starting for three seasons at FCS Rhode Island.

Defensive back Okonye wanted to have his abilities utilized more, after playing but not starting consistently at Wake Forest for three seasons.

The Boilermakers needed help on the offensive line and in the secondary, so Steinmetz and Okonye were ideal fits: Players with potential, if not more, who were older and, thus, physically ready for the rigors of the Big Ten.

They’re examples of exactly what Coach Jeff Brohm targeted to fill significant gaps in the offseason, and their impact in the first four games has been exactly what Brohm envisioned with the flood of transfers in 2017: Immediate.

In addition to Steinmetz and Okonye, Brohm brought in three other graduate transfers, Western Kentucky linebacker T.J. McCollum, Northern Illinois offensive lineman Shane Evans and Notre Dame receiver Corey Holmes. McCollum and Evans also are starting.

"I feel like, across the board, the newcomers who came in have done the job they’ve been asked to do, offense and defense," Okonye said. "I feel like we’re living up to our end of the deal. We’ve all still got things we have to improve on, but I feel like the coaches are happy with our addition to the team."