Every day is evaluation as DC Kevin Kane builds his first Purdue defense

Staying healthy.

That’s the No. 1 goal of Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane as the Boilermakers begin the homestretch of spring football.

Of course, Kane has other goals as he begins to mold his first defense in West Lafayette. In addition to teaching his scheme–which is based on a five-man front–Kane has been evaluating personnel. And a big part of that evaluation is battling each other.

“I think competition brings the best out of everybody,” said Kane. “And we’re gonna continue to bring guys in. That’s the name in this business. We play our favorites. Our favorites are the ones who can help us win. Everybody now understands what we’re doing here.”

No doubt, Kane and all of the coaches have made the message load and clear.

“Every day is an evaluation,” he said.

It’s Kane’s job to figure out if any problems that bubble up in the spring are the result of faults in the scheme or personnel issues.

“Every day, you’re looking at that and evaluating that and saying, ‘OK, this is what we gotta go find and get, or is something we need to fix within the scheme?’ So, I think we have a great feel of where we are at with the roster and where we need to build this thing from here.”

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Not everyone going through spring football will be here come fall. Heck, many will be gone before the end of the month, as the transfer portal opens on April 15 for 15 days.

Purdue figures to have several players enter the portal once spring drills conclude on April 22. And, the staff figures to import several players from the portal, as Ryan Walters seeks to reshape this roster with players that fit his ideals on both sides of the ball.

“I think guys are appreciating the opportunities to be out there,” said Kane. “At the same time, when they’re not out there, they have an understanding of why they’re not out there.”

Ten practices in, does Kane have concerns?

“We got to continue to build depth,” he said. “That’s a big concern up front and on the back-end. We have guys that have played a lot of football. But, at the same time, there’s a lot of guys behind them that haven’t played a lot of football. It’s the next-man in mentality. You’re one play away from being ready. We’ve got to make sure those guys are ready and just continue to build that depth in those areas.”

Linebacker O.C. Brothers likes what he has seen thus far.

“The defense they’re putting in is really good,” said Brothers. “There’s not too many confusing pieces. I feel like you can just sit down and learn it.

“It’s a defense that allows me to be free, play downhill faster, hit my gap. Pretty much everything a MIKE linebacker needs to do.”

Added outside linebacker Khordae Sydnor: “I love the defense. It shows my versatility. I get to rush the passer and drop into coverage. So, I’m still adjusting to it. I’m still learning, but I love it, man. That’s great.”

Brothers is one of the players Kane has been pleasantly surprised with this spring.

“I think I talked about him earlier in the spring was Tony Stevens,” said Kane. “I am really happy with where he’s at in the back-end. Seeing him from the bowl prep, to winter conditioning, to now, I feel really good about him. Upfront, Big Mo (Mo Omonode) has proven to be a high-motor, great-effort guy. Really liked where he’s at. Linebacker world, I think O.C. Brothers has really kind of stepped up from where he was and continued to grow. Yanni Karlaftis.

“There’s a lot of guys. I can go on and on with surprises. We’re gonna have a good team. … I think we’re gonna be pretty solid.”

For some of the players on this defense, Kane is their fifth coordinator in five years, following Nick Holt, Bob Diaco, Brad Lambert and Ron English.

“I had the same coach for four years all through college,” said Kane, who played at Kansas. “We had a successful defense. I think continuity is great just because the players can have an understanding. For us here at Purdue, that’s what we want. We want stability. We wants guys to be here.”