Purdue has seen a lot of changes in the quarterback room early this offseason. The departures of Aidan O'Connell and Austin Burton left Purdue without any starting experience, and backup Michael Alaimo entered the transfer portal as well.
The Boilermakers then brought in highly-touted transfer Hudson Card to be the presumptive starter. Joining Card as a quarterback addition is incoming freshman Ryan Browne. He is the lone signal caller in the 2023 recruiting class and will join Card, along with Brady Allen in the quarterback room next season.
Browne attended Milford Academy, a prep school in New York, following his high school career at Venice High School in Florida. Last season, he threw for 2,931 yards with 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Prior to his prep school stop, Browne led Venice to the Florida 8A State Championship Game and was the Mr. Football runner up in the state.
The three-star recruit committed to Purdue over offers from Toledo, Western Michigan, Kent State, and others. Browne also had interest from other Power 5 schools but did not receive an offer.
Browne talked to Boiler Upload about his decision and expectations for himself in the first edition of "Welcome Aboard".
What has your first week on campus been like thus far?
"I love it. Everything is really smooth, you know. It's a good schedule, going to class, getting back in the facility doing extra work, lifting, throwing on the field. Everybody's really cool, everybody's really excited to get all the new guys in, so it's been a lot of fun so far."
What have your conversations been like with the guys in the quarterback room?
"Personal stuff, I mean just getting to know each other. Obviously we're gonna spend a lot of time on the field together, but the best way to get comfortable around each other is to know each other as people before we're playing together. So that's the the big thing just get to know each other to know some background stuff and feel comfortable with each other."
What have been your impressions of the new coaching staff?
"I love all the coaches we have right now. They're really young and they've got a lot of energy and it makes it a lot of fun. Like in the weight room. I'll see Coach Harrell almost every morning when I'm in there and he's always got some words to say, it's always super exciting. He's a cool dude. He's got a lot of energy. So it's exciting to get that, you know on the practice field it's going to be that times ten."
How does Graham Harrell and the offensive staff see you fitting in with the quarterback room?
"They're excited about me. You know, I'm coming in as a freshman, but I'm 19 I have a lot of experience. I've won a lot of game so they're excited to see how I can pick up the playbook and how I'm going to do when the spring starts but they're really excited. I'm excited too I mean, it's gonna be a great opportunity, especially with these other quarterbacks in the room."
How much did playing at Milford Academy help in your development as a player?
"I think it did a ton. I think the biggest thing was where I was and there wasn't much to do. So it really taught me like that you gotta do what you can with what you have and I didn't have a lot there. So now being here, it's like you have everything you could ever ask for. It makes it so easy to take advantage of all the opportunities. So I'm really grateful for that prep year for sure. I have the same amount of experience as these guys. I really think that you know, at my prep team, we played college [junior varsity] teams, so we were playing against some some legit defenses. I got some really good looks, better looks than most high school kids will see. I'm the same age as them but I've got more eligibility so I think it's a great thing for me."
What do you hope to accomplish during your time at Purdue?
"Individually, to be a starting quarterback, being an All-American. I have big goals for myself. I don't just say that stuff, I'm gonna put in the work behind the scenes stuff, and obviously that's the stuff that nobody sees. I think that's what builds people. Then win the Big Ten and do some things Purdue hasn't done before."
