Bennett Meredith eager to embrace Purdue backup role

Backup Purdue quarterback Bennett Meredith understands the pressure of playing the quarterback position at a high level.

Once a standout at MTV-famous Hoover High (Ala.), Meredith finds himself in West Lafayette after spending a season at Arizona State. Though he’s spending his fall camp competing for the backup role behind Hudson Card, Meredith exudes confidence, something he attributes to playing high school for one of the nation’s most prominent prep programs.

“I think it’s really prepared me for this level, as much as a high school can prepare someone for college. It’s pretty cool saying that I did get to play for Hoover. I was wearing a Hoover shirt here the other day and everyone knew about Hoover. That’s just pretty cool knowing I played there,” Meredith said of his alma mater.

Following a coaching change in Tempe, Meredith entered his name in the transfer portal post-spring practice, looking for a new place to call home. While he knew very little about Purdue beforehand, he was quickly impressed by West Lafayette.

“We kind of stepped on campus and were blown away. It flies under the radar; it’s a beautiful place,” Meredith said of Purdue.

Meredith described his time in the transfer portal as hectic, stating it was “like three years of normal high school recruiting in two weeks.” He was on a plane when his name officially hit the portal, and by the time he landed, he had countless missed calls.

He described the importance of his family in finding his new home and identifying what he wanted out of a program. Yes, West Lafayette sits closer to his hometown than Tempe, but that’s not necessarily what drew him to Purdue.

“What really tipped the edge was Coach Walt (Ryan Walters) and the people here,” Meredith said. “You can tell after going through the cycle once that [some coaches] really mean what they say. You could tell Coach Walt wasn’t “BS-ing” me; he really meant everything he said.”

Though not competing for first-team reps at this time, Meredith cited numerous times where he’s learned from Card since arriving on campus. He pointed to Card’s business-like approach as an area where the starter stands out as one of the nation’s best.

As a backup, however, Meredith will be ready at a moment’s notice.

“I’m attacking this thing like I’m the quarterback. Knock on wood, you don’t want this to happen, but you’re one play away from playing,” Meredith said.

Recent history certainly backs up his statement. To find the last time one quarterback started all 12 regular season games for Purdue, you must travel back to 2016. David Blough went the distance for Darrell Hazell and Gerad Parker that season. Since then, Purdue’s started multiple quarterbacks in all six seasons.

Meredith saw no action during his one year as a Sun Devil, but he put together a prolific prep career. In two seasons as a starter at Hoover, he led the team to a 23-3 record and tossed 47 touchdown passes.

When asked to describe himself as a quarterback, Meredith sees himself as a quarterback who can create.

“I’m not someone who’s going to take it for 70 yards, but I scramble to throw. I’m really good off-platform,” Meredith said.

He cited keeping his eyes downfield and staying in the pocket as areas of improvement, while also noting that he will continue to grow in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s system.

Over the coming weeks, Meredith will seek to lock down the number two spot on the quarterback depth chart, competing with true freshman Ryan Browne and West Lafayette native Kyle Adams for the backup role.

“It’s really healthy competition. We’re all pushing each other to get better.”

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