Need help? Hit the portal.
That has become the mantra of schools across the country since the advent of the NCAA transfer portal in October 2018.
Purdue has been active. This offseason, Jeff Brohm has hit the portal harder than he ever has as Boilermaker coach.
Since the end of 2020, Purdue has added seven transfers via the portal, four on defense, two on offense and one on special teams.
The defensive additions are all from the SEC: end Joe Anderson (South Carolina); linebacker OC Brothers (Auburn); cornerbacks Jamari Brown (Kentucky) and C.J. McWilliams (Florida). While guard Tyler Witt (Western Kentucky) and running back Dylan Downing (UNLV) are on board to help the offense and kicker Ben Freehill (Oklahoma State) was added to help on special teams.
Brothers, Anderson, Witt, Downing and Freehill are all on campus and going through spring drills. Brown and McWilliams will arrive in the offseason.
"Well, we're excited about the additions," said Brohm. "I think every year, you got to assess your team and where you're at. Definitely in today's recruiting age, it's important that we continue to do that. It's important that we continue to provide some room and space to be able to do that.”
And Purdue is still shopping the portal. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Brohm add a defensive tackle and a safety. Another offensive lineman could be added, if the program finds one it thinks can be a help. The early returns on Brothers, Anderson and Witt have been positive. Brohm has mentioned Brothers on a few occasions as a player who has stood out this spring.
"That's been good to see," said Brohm. "He has some quick-twitch and can make plays.”
And the 6-2, 300-pound Witt appears to have a very good chance to start at right guard, where the fifth-year senior has been entrenched all spring. Witt was a starter each of the last three seasons at left guard for the Hilltoppers and made 43 career starts. He was recruited at WKU by Brohm in 2016.
“I think I've come in and I've done a pretty, pretty good job of learning the offense and applying it, being able to be successful on my blocks and be physical and get enough push up front,” said Witt. “There's still some things that I'm still trying to get a grasp on. Most of it carried over from my time at Western Kentucky, but there are still some things that where it's like fine details of it that I need to get down.”
The decision to come to Purdue for his final season of eligibility was made easy for Witt because of his familiarity with Brohm and offensive line coach Dale Williams, who also was at Western Kentucky. He's the fourth WKU player to transfer to Purdue in the Brohm era, following linebacker T.J. McCollum, guard Dennis Edwards and linebacker Ben Holt.
"The reason I came to Purdue, my familiarity with everyone in the building," said Witt, who attended Joliet (Ill.) Catholic High. "As soon as I walked in, I mean, I knew half the staff because of their previous time at Western Kentucky.
"To already know Coach Brohm and Coach Williams and (assistant offensive line) Coach (Neil) Callaway, I mean, it really set them apart. And, obviously, it's the Big Ten."
Brohm also has liked Anderson, a 6-4, 265-pound sophomore from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who needs to get stronger but has shown some potential off the edge to help with the pass rush. He's working at the same spot as junior George Karlaftis, who has taken Anderson under his wing.
"It's great working with George," said Anderson, who knew Karlaftis from high school events before transferring. "He helps me out a lot. We connect well on the field. He shows me things that I can get better at, I show him things he can get better at. He's just a great guy to work with overall."
Now, Anderson hopes to use what he's learning to amp-up a Purdue pass rush that needs to improve.
"I can pass rush well, I can use my hands well," said Anderson. "I'm big and physical. I'm a big presence off the edge. I can stop the run. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win games."
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