QB1 Hudson Card brings talent, expectations to Purdue but left cowboy boots in Texas

Life moves pretty fast. At least it did for Graham Harrell last December.

In one instant, he was in Texas recruiting for West Virginia, where he was the offensive coordinator. The next thing he knew, Harrell was hired by Purdue as OC and was riding on plane from Dallas to Austin with new Boilermaker coach Ryan Walters to recruit transfer portal Texas signal-caller Hudson Card.

“All he did was he gave me a (Purdue) shirt and we went,” said Harrell. “It was immediate. I think that we were both in agreement that as far as portal quarterbacks, in our opinion, he was the best one in there. And so he was a priority for us and we wanted to go get him.”

Harrell and Walters got their man.

Card has been in West Lafayette over two months now, learning the ropes and continuing to adapt to his new home. The next step: Spring football, which began last week.

“I thought he had a good command of the offense,” said Walters after the first spring practice. “I think he’s a sharp, sharp young man and knows where to go with the football. Obviously, he’s uber talented.”

Card and his talents committed to Purdue on December 26 and arrived in West Lafayette in January with three years of eligibility. Last week, he took the wraps off his Boilermaker career with the start of spring practice. And one thing is certain: Card is Q1 in Year One under Walters.

“The first time they came to my house, I think it was like 24 hours or 36 hours, right after Coach Walters got hired,” said Card.

That made Card feel important, like a priority, like a wanted man. Now, he is the man. The chemistry was instant.

“Throughout that whole process, it was definitely long but also quick at the same time,” said Card. “I had to make a decision in like two months. It was a lot. But, honestly, I went with my gut feeling.

“What Coach Walters is building here, Coach Harrell and everything. I just prayed about it. Felt God was leading me this direction and I kind of just went with my gut feeling.”

Harrell had another advantage when it came to wooing Card: He was a fellow Texan. Harrell grew up in Ennis–35 miles south of Dallas on I-45–playing under the Friday night lights for his father before starring on Saturdays at Texas Tech for quirky genius Mike Leach.

“Texas people, we love Texas people,” said Harrell. “There’s a lot of us around here, too. So that probably helped. We at least kind of spoke the same language. And so getting off the plane, walking into the house, I had never met him. But Texas people are like, even if they’ve never met, they feel like they’re related. It’s like walking into a relative’s house, I guess.”

There is no more important player in 2023 for Purdue than the Longhorn transfer, who will be the triggerman for an attack based on Air Raid principles.

“Coach Harrell’s offense definitely I think utilizes my game well,” said Card. “He allows me to obviously throw the ball first but obviously extend plays and have some tools in the offense where I can run, as well.

“I love his offense, picking it up pretty quick. I think a lot of the guys are. We have a lot of work to do, but it’s something I think will fit my game well.”

Sixth-year senior offensive tackle Eric Miller likes what he’s seen from the offense.

“We don’t have a ton to install,” he said. “We are gonna have a few base things and be really good at them. Drill ‘em day, after day, after day. It allows you to play free, play fast. We’re gonna try to play fast. Just working that tempo and being ready to move from one play to the next.”

MORE: Breaking down Texas transfer Hudson Card: What type of QB is Purdue getting? | Purdue lands Texas QB Hudson Card from portal | Gold and Black Radio: Boilermakers through first 3 spring practices

Card spent three seasons at Texas, seeing action in 15 games on The Forty Acres and passing for 1,523 yards and 11 touchdowns after arriving as a four-star recruit from nearby Lake Travis High. That makes Card the second most noteworthy Purdue signal-caller from Austin, where former Boilermaker icon Drew Brees played at Westlake High, the chief rival of Lake Travis.

If you’re wondering, yes, Brees did play a part in wooing Card to West Lafayette. Now, Card will step in at Purdue to replace Aidan O’Connell, his feet firmly planted in West Lafayette but not in cowboy boots. He left those back in the Lone Star State.

“I’ve never been a big cowboy boot guy, honestly, even though I was born in Texas,” he said.

Shucks, Card fesses he doesn’t even have a cowboy hat.

“Pretty embarrassing,” he said. “I should.”

Instead, Card just blends in. He speaks with a soft tone. You can detect a bit of a Texas twang if you lean in and listen closely. When you do, you’ll notice a cross necklace dangling from his neck beneath his bearded-face.

Physically? There is nothing extraordinary. The roster says he’s 6-2, 200. He’s probably 6-0. Heck, you’d walk right past Card on State Street and not know you just passed the guy carrying the hopes and dreams of Boilermaker fans this fall. He could be the guy sitting next to you in Comm 114.

But, don’t be fooled by the packaging. Card is a cool customer who has stood on one of the biggest stages in the nation at Texas. And, whoa, Nellie … he can chuck the pigskin.

“He can move in the pocket. He can do it all, really,” said wideout T.J. Sheffield. “His over-the-shoulder balls are pretty nice. It’s pretty easy to catch it right in the breadbasket every time.”

You want confidence? Card is wearing jersey No. 1, for crying out loud. ‘Nuf said.

Card’s got this under control. He better, because the backup quarterback situation is dicey.

“Going back to freshman year when Sam Ehlinger was there, he helped me learn a lot,” said Card. “Texas is just such a big program and such a big spotlight. It comes with pressure and all that sort of stuff. But here it does, as well. But I learned so much from Coach (Tom) Herman and Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian).”

Now, Card is a Boilermaker, leading a program coming off a Big Ten West championship in 2022. This spring is all about transitioning to new coaches and teammates, learning the offense and adapting to mid-North Indiana weather.

“Austin is such a big city,” said Card. “So, for me, it’s nice to kind to get in a small college town. I looked at it as the best of both worlds. You get to experience both in college. To me, I think it’s a great fit. I just gotta get used to it when it gets around five degrees. That’s one thing I’m still getting used to.”