Weekly Word: Key players, ESPN and more

Thank heavens for the list.

It's been the salvation of many tapped-out sportswriters over the course of many years, peaking during this glorious Clickbait Era, and today it comes to my aid, because in the absence of a really compelling lead-in here, I'm just gonna list stuff.

Here are 10 players who I think — me, no other than me — can take Purdue from one level to another, whether that's bad to OK, from OK to good, from good to very good, or from very good to great.

No particular order, and please keep in mind that guys who are known entities — Aidan O'Connell, Payne Durham, Jalen Graham, etc. — are not eligible for this prestigious list.

• Deion Burks In the Transfer Era and at a program where true freshmen have made such profound impacts, it can be easy to forget about redshirt freshmen. But Purdue needs speed and quickness and big-play punch at one of its signature positions, wide receiver, and that makes Burks a potential impact player sooner rather than later.

• Cory Trice Yeah, I know that he qualifies as a known commodity too, but this Is a more a trajectory matter following his ACL Injury last year. This Isn't about him becoming a contributor, but rather him becoming a standout. He was well on his way to become a really good player and a real NFL prospect before he was hurt last year. Can he get back to where he was? If so, Purdue's gonna be OK at cornerback, a position where the carousel has been constant the past few years.

• Cam Craig Purdue was really high on Craig early in his career and now that he's an upperclassman and presumably healthy, now's his time, as Purdue turns to him, presumably, at offensive tackle.