Purdue coach Ryan Walters 'fine-tuning' squad with opener drawing near
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Classes started on Monday in West Lafayette. And, it’s Week Zero of the college football season. What’s it all mean? Purdue is moving closer to game mode after almost three weeks of camp practices.
“Fine-tuning on details, solidifying spots on the roster, staying healthy and still preparing the bodies for a live contest,” said Ryan Walters when asked what was on the agenda this week.
How real is the 2024 season? Purdue will begin preparations for Indiana State, its Week One foe on August 31, tomorrow.
Walters has had a lot to work on since camp began on July 31, blending together myriad new pieces to his team’s puzzle with the most to sort out on the offensive line and at receiver. In all, Purdue brought in 19 players from the portal and three JC transfers, along with 23 freshmen. Add it up, and that’s 45 new players.
“We’re a lot deeper than we were a year ago,” said Walters, looking to improve off a 4-8 debut. “We addressed the needs that we needed, obviously, from a year ago.”
Has the offense or the defense held an edge in preseason preparations?
“I don’t know,” said Walters. “There’s been good back and forth. That’s what I’ve liked, is when plays have been made on both sides, they’ve been competitive plays. So, guys are where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there, and it just comes down to who’s gonna win their one-on-one matchup. So, I don’t know. It just depends on the day, really, or the situation. There’s been good back and forth all camp.”
Serious injury has not been a big issue. CB Nyland Green (foot) and WR CJ Smith (hamstring) will miss the opener, but the Georgia transfers are expected back for the second game vs. Notre Dame on Sept. 14 in Ross-Ade Stadium after a bye week. Various players have been in and out of practice with injury, but Walters expects to have close to a fully charged roster for the opener.
“I love (the Week Two bye) now because of some of nick-nack injuries we’ve had,” said Walters. “When it came out, obviously, I was like, ‘Dang, I wish we would just keep playing.’ But some of the soft-tissue injuries that we’ve had, some of the guys that are just banged up, having that extra week before we get in the thick of the season is beneficial.”
Today, Purdue welcomed back two wideouts who had been out for extended stretches: Kam Brown and Jayden Dixon-Veal. In fact, Brown has missed almost the entirety of camp, though he caught some passes on the side on Friday. Purdue also saw Kyndrich Breedlove on the field today. The Colorado transfer is expected to play a key role as the starting “Star.”
“Just good to have (Breedlove) out here healthy, getting him back used to covering and communicating and playing fast,” said Walters. “So, obviously, wanted to take our time reintroducing him to practice, just to make sure that we’re not dealing with nick-nack injuries throughout the season. He looked good today. He looked like he had fresh legs. Was happy that he’s out here.”
Purdue will practice tomorrow and Thursday before being off on Friday.
“Happy with the morale of the locker room, happy with the buy-in,” said Walters. “I’m excited to go play.”
