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Move from safety to cornerback was 'huge' for Purdue's Cory Trice

On3 imageby:Tom Dienhart•11/16/22•

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Huge. That’s how Purdue’s Cory Trice describes his move from safety to cornerback prior to the start of the 2019 season, way back when he was a redshirt freshman.

“At first, I was lost, I didn’t know what was going to go on,” said Trice after practice on Wednesday. “I took a chance at corner and then I just haven’t looked back.”

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Look at Trice now. He has developed into an effective cornerback who figures to have a future in the NFL. Trice has been an anchor of a secondary that at times has come under scrutiny this season. Blown coverages and missed tackles have hurt the unit. But, Trice has done his best to keep things together. The unit took a step forward in last week’s 31-24 victory at No. 21 Illinois.

“I think so,” said Jeff Brohm this week. “I think they did a really good job overall. Like I said, I think we helped them a little bit. But they played sounder, with more focus to detail. I thought they played hard. I thought they tried to tackle and get in on plays. I thought they tried to defend the pass very well.”

Trice looks to finish his fifth-year senior season strong, beginning with Saturday’s game vs. visiting Northwestern (1-9 overall; 0-7 Big Ten). That’s followed by a trip to Indiana and maybe a trip to the Big Ten title for the bowl-bound Boilermakers. After that, Trice will head to the East-West Shrine Game to show his skills to pro scouts. His size (6-3, 215), quickness and athleticism are intriguing.

“He’s been wanting to be better,” said cornerbacks coach Ashton Youboty. “He was very frustrated when we got into fall camp because he wasn’t where he wanted to be. And he just kept working.

“He carries the room. When he brings energy, guys follow … “

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Trice was frustrated early on this season as he worked back from a knee injury that limited him to just two games in 2021. He played with a brace early on before shedding it, notching 19 tackles, one interception and a team-high nine PBUs in 10 games this year. Trice is the only member of the secondary who has started every game. How would he assess his 2022 season thus far?

“I feel like it’s going pretty good, actually,” he said. “We are winning games (6-4; 4-3). We could be better, but we are still winning games, taking it game by game. I feel like I’m putting up decent numbers coming off injury, so I feel like we’re doing pretty good.”

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