Purdue returnees, transfers hope to form cohesive offensive line in 2023

Purdue returns three starters to the offensive line from last season, but the group will look plenty different than it did a season ago.

Three key contributors departed via the transfer portal from last year’s line. First, Spencer Holstege announced his move to UCLA. After the bowl game, Sione Finau followed Holstege to the PAC 12, landing at Arizona State. In a bit of a surprise, Eric Miller entered the portal following spring practices and hopped on I-65 southbound to Louisville.

While Mahamane Moussa, Marcus Mbow and Gus Hartwig all started on the 2022 offensive line, they’re joined by four transfers who project to play a role in filling out the protection for Purdue’s offense. Ben Farrell (Indiana Wesleyan), Jalen Grant (Bowling Green), Austin Johnson (Colorado) and Preston Nichols (UNLV) all will suit up for Purdue for the first time on Sept. 2.

With so much change, the importance of creating chemistry in fall camp cannot be understated.

“One of the things I appreciate about this group is that they don’t mind working,” said Purdue offensive line coach Marcus Johnson. “We need to continue creating that chemistry and cohesion. At the end of the day, we have to find the right five and put them in the right spots.”

Part of creating that “best five” involved moving Mbow from right guard, where he put together a promising 2022 season, out to right tackle. Part of the calculus? Purdue’s much deeper at guard than at tackle, as the transfer additions project better on the interior of the offensive line.

Although Mbow earned honorable mention all-conference honors at right guard last season, Johnson likes what he’s seen from the redshirt sophomore at tackle to this point.

“He’s a talented individual, but it’s going to take some game reps for him to get comfortable with [playing tackle]. He has the ability to get it done,” Johnson said of Mbow.

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While Mbow and Moussa will anchor the two tackle spots, questions linger about the other three starting spots.

At center, injuries make the outlook a bit hazy for the upcoming season. Hartwig, a three-year starter at center, sustained a severe knee injury in the late November win over Northwestern, and it’s questionable at what point he’ll receive clearance to return.

Josh Kaltenberger filled in at center following Hartwig’s injury, but he left practice with an injury a few weeks ago. His status for the first game remains in jeopardy, too, which could cause Purdue to open the season with its third option at center.

All four of the aforementioned transfers figure to compete for playing time at the two guard spots, and they’ll compete for the center spot until the veteran Hartwig returns to action.

Johnson stressed the importance of preparing players to play multiple positions. He referenced the cross-training of his offensive linemen as critical to determining his “best five” and preparing his group for injuries to occur during the season.

“For instance, I had some guys banged up so I told Preston [Nichols] to go play left tackle, and he looked like he’d been there before. We might get caught in that situation this year where he might have to go out there, and we got him some reps there,” said Johnson.

Johnson knows first-hand how important it is to have a plethora of bodies capable of playing each position. A few years back when he coached the Mississippi State o-line, he lost three centers to injury in the same game. By the end of the 60 minutes, the Bulldogs played a center who’d never snapped a ball before.

The mantra for this year’s offensive line came from head coach Ryan Walters: competitive, tough and disciplined. That’s what the head man wants to see out of this group. And, to this point, Johnson likes what he’s seen from the big fellas.

“We have a chance to do some really good things around here, and I’m fired up about it. Stick to the motto day-in and day-out and we’ll be fine.”