More: Football Primer | Strength coach brings energy

Brennan Thieneman is part of a select group of only 13 members.

It’s an exclusive club, although one that is certainly overlooked, that has helped the Boilermakers get back to the postseason for the first time in five seasons. The 13 are walk-ons who have played on special teams this season — a high during Tony Levine’s decade-long career as a head coach and coordinator — including several who are staples across multiple groups, players like Thieneman, Garrett Hudson, Wes Cook and Malcolm Dotson.

“We laugh about how we’re the ‘Walk-on Squad,’” Thieneman said Thursday after Purdue’s second-to-last practice in West Lafayette before departing for the West Coast. “… (This staff) knows that walk-ons are going to give their absolute best effort because that’s the only reason they’re here. That’s why they use them on special teams. We always count how many walk-ons are out there each time we’re on the field. We laugh about it, because normally it’s the majority.”

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