Wilson working on focus, on and off field, for Purdue

He has one in his locker, a poster reading, “Did you leave it all on the field today?” When his cell phone’s alarm rings every morning, the screen says, “Wake up and grind.”

The defensive tackle wants the consistent messages, making him repeatedly think about what it’ll take to get his performance another notch higher.

“It’s messages to train my mindset to realize that I have to be 100 percent all the time,” Wilson said following Wednesday’s practice, Purdue's fifth of the spring. “… That was a pretty big message across the board. Everyone knows that I’m capable, it’s just being that 100 percent of the time, just knowing that you’re the guy who has to show up. You can’t take plays off, stuff like that, so that’s my biggest focus.”

Focus is a common theme for Wilson, across his athletic and academic life. In the winter, the junior was off Purdue’s roster — and thought to be off the team permanently — due to academics. But he worked to get the issues straightened out, and only a few weeks after he was off the roster, he was back on it. And now he’s in good standing.

Wilson discussed the episode as a “personal, off-the-field” matter.

“Really, I just had to get some things in order,” he said. “I’m really thankful to Coach (Jeff) Brohm and his staff, all the coaches who reached out to me in that time. I wasn’t looking to go anywhere (else), was just looking to get some things in order.

“I’m really thankful to those guys because they immediately reached out to me to make sure I got everything done to get back on the roster. And that’s that.”

And now, the 6-foot-4, 304-pounder wants to turn his immense potential into big-time playmaking. He shows flashes, like last season when he had six tackles for loss (2.5 sacks) in his first full year as a starter.

Wednesday, during Purdue’s first large-scale scrimmage of the spring, he was a handful for the offense. On the second play, he smacked Tario Fuller in the hole, one of the hardest hits of the day. Later, he chased David Blough out of the pocket for a third-down incompletion.

“I like him in general as a guy who has size and strength, a guy who has quickness and instincts,” Brohm said. “We’ve got to make sure we continue to push him to be his best, that he’s into it every play. I think when he’s not tired and is going hard, he’s very productive. We’ve got to make sure that he produces for us.

“… Without question, he’s one of our best guys up front.”

Wilson seems at least aware of what it’ll take to become a consistently impactful force. He gets near constant feedback from his coaches, with D-line graduate assistant Joe Montag constantly chasing behind him, making sure Wilson is keeping up the intensity.

“And it’s really helping me, training my body and my mind to realize the play isn’t over until the whistle blows,” Wilson said. “That’s the player I want to develop into, one that just hustles all the time.

“(Coaches) know I can stop the run. They know I can rush the passer. They know I can be an agile defensive lineman, but to do it 100 percent of the time, that’s the big goal. Being that consistent player that I can be.”

Wilson’s an upperclassman now, too, one with playing experience, and that brings a whole new set of responsibilities. But will teammates follow him if he’s not taking care of business?

“On the field, without a doubt I can lead the D-line and the defense,” he said. “But it’s off the field, it’s making sure I’m going to class and doing things right so that I can set a good example, so that I can practice what I preach.”

First scrimmage

During its first major scrimmage of the spring, the first-team offense looked solid on its opening drive.

Afterward, however, it was a mixed bag for both units; Brohm admitted as much afterward.

But the scrimmage, the first of three this spring (including the game), was a good start. The first drive included.

Blough was 3-of-4 on the drive, hitting Anthony Mahoungou for 49 yards on the first play, then Cole Herdman for 10 on the last, a fourth-and-goal touchdown after Fuller had lost seven yards on a tackle by Antoine Miles. Blough's only miss was a first down from the 19 on a nice breakup by cornerback Da’Wan Hunte.

But a few themes developed. Purdue looked for its tight ends in the red zone. Herdman caught the first touchdown pass, then another later from Elijah Sindelar. Backup Brycen Hopkins would have had one too, only it was called back by a holding penalty.

Still, evident that Purdue is going to look often for its tight ends.

“We don’t have everything in, but trust me, everything known to man to the tight end, we’ll make sure to have in,” Brohm said. “You’re going to have to cover them, (force) us to throw it somewhere else at times. We’ll give them every shot to do it.

“I think they’ve got to be productive for us, some up the seams on some vertical routes. If we can do that, it’ll open up the underneath game, which I think they’ll be very, very good at.”

Another theme: Purdue’s problems in its offensive front combined with a defensive front seven that was active.

Boilermaker quarterbacks were “sacked” — touched up because QBs are off-limits — six times, including by linebacker Rob Simmons (two), tackle Fred Brown, Hunte, a share by Gelen Robinson and Anthony Watts and Miles. Plus, the defense flushed quarterbacks out of the pocket multiple other times.

Credit to defenders.

But a sign too of the Boilermakers’ developing offensive line, where they currently have only have a couple players with significant Saturday experience.

“The guys on team, they work hard and are into it,” Brohm said. “We just have to continue to work with them, get them better, develop them, get them stronger. Get them to understand what we’re doing more. The more we’re into it, the more they understand, the quicker they’ll be able to play and make instinctive decisions.

“They’ll get better. It’s going to be a process. We have to make sure the ones who haven’t played a lot get a lot of reps. There were some complete miscues a few times that I think can be easily corrected, but it’s about understanding what you need to do and playing fast and physical, but I think some of it was that we didn’t know what to do at times.”

Blough finished, unofficially, with 120 yards on 10-of-18 passes, with the touchdown. Mahoungou had three receptions for 62 yards. Richie Worship had 56 yards rushing on nine carries. For complete offensive statistics, click HERE ($).

Purdue scrimmaged for about 90 minutes, after going through individual drills during its last practice before spring break. The Boilermakers rotated through first and second teams — 1s vs. 1s, 2s vs. 2s — with drives largely starting at the offense’s 30-yard line. Once late, they worked a series starting near the red zone.

Brohm said Purdue kept the schemes basic.

“Right now, their head is spinning a little bit, so we slowed the installation down,” he said. “When they get back from spring break, we’ll pick it back up and go from there. It’s about finding who the playmakers are and making sure we get the ball in their hands enough.”

Held out

Purdue held out several players, including newly injured D.J. Knox.

The running back, out last season with an ACL, was “banged up,” per Brohm, after tweaking something on Monday. But Knox was working out off to the side on Wednesday. Markell Jones, too, was a little nicked up; he participated in the scrimmage but had only three carries.

Receiver Terrance Landers also was out due to a hamstring.

Break time

The Boilermakers now have a week-and-a-half off, leaving for the University’s spring break before their first practice back on March 20.

“Get away from it a little but also take care of their bodies,” Brohm said. “Get in their playbook a little bit and make sure when we come back the following Monday to continue to look for improvement.”

Brohm had one other message: Be good.

“Trust me, we tell them that,” he said. “Every single time we talk it’s going to come out of my mouth. Boys are going to be boys, but they have to make sure they’re going to be smart and make good decisions. Pretty much always we have to remind them to do the right thing.”