Old National Presents: The 3-2-1—Mockobee cements legacy

Three things learned. Two questions. One bold statement. It’s the 3-2-1, a look at Purdue football.

Three things learned

1 – Mr. Purdue

Purdue saw 39 players enter the portal after last season, including stalwarts like Max Klare, Dillon Thieneman and Will Heldt. But one star stayed: Devin Mockobee. Why?

“My engineering degree is something that I hold very close to me because I put so many years of work into it,” said Mockobee last week. “A Purdue mechanical engineering degree is a very prestigious degree that I preferred to have. So, that was like 95% of my choice. And then the last 5% is just that I love being here. That’s all I want to do, because I just love Purdue.”

2 – Commitment is in

Purdue landed its second 2026 commitment on Saturday when Brayden Sweeney went public with his pledge. The linebacker from Catholic Central High in Grand Rapids, Mich., was at Friday’s scrimmage, when he gave his commitment. He joins Chicago St. Rita OL Rico Schrieber as Purdue’s two 2026 commits.

The skinny on the 6-2, 215-pound Sweeney: Good sized kid with length. He’s raw but has talent, tough, physical football player. Has good speed and range. Needs coaching and development with technique. Think he will develop into a really good player once he gets coached up.

3 – Mo sighting

It was good finally to see NT Mo Omonode on the practice field last week. No, he wasn’t taking part in activities. Rather, he was just walking the perimeter of the practice field as he returns from a back issue. Will he be cleared? If so, when?

Make no mistake about it: The d-line needs the West Lafayette High product, who can be a difference-maker.

Two questions

1 – How big was landing portal LB Sanders Ellis?

Big. Really big. The Tennessee State transfer was thought to be favoring Tennessee, Auburn and Virginia Tech. But, the Boilers reeled in arguably the best portal LB available.

Ellis has three years of eligibility and immediately becomes the best linebacker on the team … and maybe the best defensive player overall.

The skinny on Ellis: Big help at a big position of need. He fits more of a traditional Mike LB role. Big, strong, physical, violent player. Instinctive, productive football player. Better football player than an athlete. Young player with some rawness that should continue to get better and better with coaching and maturity.

2 – Best part of team?

Purdue capped its third week of spring drills with a scrimmage on Friday. The results were a mixed bag.

The offense was at its best when it went tempo/RPO. The offense had some very nice drives and showed balance, especially when going with tempo. The energy on defense was good. In fact, the defense probably won the day. Purdue seemed to be sound and did not put guys in bad positions.

The position group that has impressed Barry Odom the most with two weeks to go in spring drills?

“Offensive line group, to me, they’ve come together, even with all the moving parts, a little bit faster than maybe I anticipated,” said Odom.

The top line on Tuesday, from left to right: Joey Tanona, Jalen St. John, Giordano Vaccaro, Ethan Trent, Bakyne Coly.

One bold statement: Purdue No. 1 QB isn’t on campus

I would not be shocked to see the staff try to fish out a veteran starting quarterback from the portal during the spring window. It would be a signal-caller who was passed over at his school by a portal transfer, a guy who would see an easier path to starting at Purdue where the depth chart is littered with inexperience.

For now, Evans Chuba, Malachi Singleton and EJ Colson are the top contenders. That trio has one combined career start (Colson). Can Purdue really afford to ride with one of those three?

None has really stood out this spring, each having their moments. Bottom line: The QB race has a long ways to go.

“I always look at other quarterbacks,” said QB coach Darin Hinshaw. “We’re always recruiting, we’re always doing that. And, right now, I’m not gonna make any statements on any of that. I’m not worried about that. Because everyone in the portal has fleas, also. There are all kinds of situations. High school recruiting is a must. Signing guys from high school is 100 percent what we are going to be doing. And then we’ll deal with the portal as needed.”