What we learned in spring practice

From late February to early April, Purdue toiled in spring football over the course of 15 practices, including a scrimmage and then the spring game last Saturday. What did we learn?

The veteran receivers aren’t going to go quietly into the night. Before spring ball even started, wideout coach JaMarcus Shephard was chirping at his receivers about the pending arrival of a ballyhooed foursome of receivers in the Class of 2019. Guys like David Bell, Milton Wright, Mershawn Rice and TJ Sheffield will arrive in June with big expectations. They didn’t sign with Purdue to sit on the bench, as Shephard likes to put it. Would the holdover wideouts improve their game? So far, so good. The spot for sensational sophomore Rondale Moore is secure, obviously. But redshirt freshman Amad Anderson, Jr., and junior Jared Sparks each stepped up and enjoyed strong springs. In fact, Anderson may have been the “spring star” for the offense. Junior Jackson Anthrop also was solid--as usual. It is going to be a very interesting training camp battle at the receiver spot.

George Karlaftis and Jalen Graham are the real deal. Each arrived on campus with a fat scrapbook and big expectations. Karlaftis is one of the biggest recruits in recent school history with an offer list that would wrap around Ross-Ade Stadium twice. He was inserted into the starting lineup at defensive end the day he walked across Northwestern Avenue from nearby West Lafayette High School. And he never may leave it again. He has a hunger and thirst to excel. Combine that with talent, and you have the makings of a potentially special player. Karlaftis already has improved what was a pedestrian pass rush. And he can set the edge vs. the run, too. Graham is 6-3, 215-pound freak safety who looks more like a linebacker. Defensive coordinator Nick Holt has Graham starting in nickel packages. It may be just a matter of time before the Detroit product is a full-time starter in the back-end. It’s just a matter of his coverage skills catching up with his ability to play in the box. The program also features another 6-3 safety in redshirt freshman Cory Trice, while touted freshman Marvin Grant--Graham's buddy from Detroit--will arrive in June. It will be fun to see what the staff does with all of this over-sized safety talent.

Purdue needs to make sure redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Plummer is ready for action. Given the injury history of fifth-year senior quarterback Elijah Sindelar—he tweaked the same left knee this spring that he blew an ACL in back in 2017—there is a good chance Purdue’s depth chart will be tested. And if that happens, Plummer probably would be the signal-caller inserted--since sophomore Nick Sipe missed most of the spring with a back issue. Jeff Brohm says he would be comfortable if Plummer had to start a game. And Plummer expressed after the spring game he is confident in himself. He is an underrated athlete and probably the best runner among the signal-callers.

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The offensive line remains a work in progress. This was an issue entering spring ball ... and it remains so. Purdue looks good at tackle with junior Grant Hermanns (left) and fifth-year senior Matt McCann (right). But the interior is to-be-determined. Redshirt freshman Jimmy McKenna spent most the spring as the No. 1 left guard, while sophomore Mark Stickford was the primary No. 1 right guard. The top center is supposed to be sophomore Viktor Beach, but he was maligned by a back issue most of the spring, creating an opening for sophomore Sam Garvin. This unit could altered radically by the arrival of a grad transfer. Bottom line: Stay tuned.

Purdue may have an emerging weapon in redshirt freshman Elijah Ball. He arguably was the defensive star of the spring game, flashing across the field and making myriad tackles. The Indianapolis native is a safety by trade but is being trained as a nickel linebacker who can play in space vs. offenses that like to use multiple receivers and spread the field. The 6-1, 210-pound Ball is a nice combination of size, speed and athletic ability. Keep an eye on him in the fall.

Purdue has a nice collection of tight ends. Fifth-year senior Brycen Hopkins could be one of the Big Ten's best this fall. In fact, he could be a legit Mackey Award candidate. He looks that good. The staff likes the potential of redshirt freshman Payne Durham, who is lauded as a good blocker. And he showed solid hands in the spring game, too. Junior Darius Pittman is a jack-of-all trades. Plus, this trio will be bolstered by the arrival of two good freshman tight ends in Kyle Bilodeau and Garrett Miller. Combine these tight ends with an intriguing collection of receivers, and you can see why so many are excited about the potential of this offense.

The pass rush has potential. It was difficult to get a great read on things in the spring game on defense, which was missing key front seven players like tackles Lorenzo Neal and Anthony Watts along with linebackers Markus Bailey, Cornel Jones and Jaylan Alexander. Still, the pass rush flashed some potential all spring. Senior Kai Higgins is quick off the edge, while undersized sophomore tackle Jeff Marks--a converted end--is active and tough. And the move from end to tackle seems to have suited sophomore Giovanni Reviere well. Then there is early enrollee George Karlaftis, who has a burst and potential galore. Don't discount the prospect of another freshman perhaps helping in the fall. Keep an eye on Dontay Hunter.

The running back spot is a mixed bag. Fifth-year senior Tario Fuller leads the parade. He is in terrific shape, but his track record for injuries is worrisome. He missed the spring game with a knee issue. Sophomore Zander Horvath is a 230-pound runaway train who figures to have a role, but how big? Redshirt freshman Evan Anderson remains an unknown commodity. The point? Don't be shocked if one--or both--true freshman running backs impacts this fall: Da'Joun Hewitt and King Doerue.

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