Five Purdue football burning questions: The schemes are new, and so are a lot of players
INDIANAPOLIS — Ryan Walters’ name was brought up at Wednesday’s first of two Big Ten media days even though the new Purdue football coach wasn’t scheduled to take the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium until Thursday.
It was Illinois coach Bret Bielema who referenced Walters and how much losing his former defensive coordinator is a blow to the Illini program.
On Thursday, it is Walters’ turn, something new for the first-time head coach, to be on the receiving end of questions both about football, and not in a setting where the obscure — think "Barbie" and St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktail among the topics brought up to coaches Wednesday — is always on the horizon.
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We’ll stick with football for now and some potential answers about the Boilermakers with 2023 fall camp quickly approaching.
How has Hudson Card transitioned?
Anything and everything we heard about the transfer quarterback from Texas was of the highest praise.
The compliments came from receivers, tight ends, linemen, but mostly from Walters and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, himself a good old Texas boy who was known for slinging the pigskin.
The moment Card was plucked out of the transfer portal and committed to Purdue, he was the starter, even if coaches were hesitant to admit it last spring. Card is the face of Purdue football, already making his face and name known in the community at numerous functions. He’s one of Purdue’s three players at media day, along with Sanoussi Kane and Cam Allen, which tells you he’s the dude.
Can the defensive success at Illinois translate?
The Illini were one of the nation’s best defenses last year.
Walters not only brings his scheme to West Lafayette, he brought Kevin Kane to be his defensive coordinator, along with Joe Dineen to coach linebackers and Grant O’Brien to coach safeties from the Illini staff.
That might not mean instant results, because those coaches will have to mix and match with the roster holdover from former coach Jeff Brohm as well as those Walters and crew were able to pull in from the portal.
What we do know is that it will be different, a lot more reactionary than robotic. Kane wants his players to be athletes who rely on instinct.
How do the transfers help?
Walters and his coordinators were not shy about recruiting over current players in the spring and in this day and age of college football, you’re doing a disservice to your program if you aren’t recruiting the transfer portal.
Not only did Purdue scour the transfer portal, the Boilermakers brought in players from other Power Five programs that fit positions of need.
Five of them — Salim Turner-Muhammad (Stanford), Marquis Wilson (Penn State), Anthony Brown (Arkansas), Markevious Brown and Braxton Myers (Ole Miss) — help shore up some secondary concerns. Jalen Grant has three years of starting experience at Bowling Green and was on campus last spring to acclimate. He and Luke Griffin from Missouri will help immediately on an offensive line that was depleted. Aside from that and Card at quarterback, it’s three to bring more firepower to a defensive line that was low on numbers last spring: Jeffrey M’Ba (Auburn), Malik Langham (Vanderbilt) and Isaiah Nichols (Arkansas).
Which player makes the biggest jump?
Not only in terms of play, but in terms of name, the answer will likely be Nic Scourdon.
Known previously as Nic Caraway, the sophomore linebacker took his father’s last name.
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He was the player pinpointed last spring by teammates as a star in the making and if you ask Kane, he’s right there with them on that locomotive.
Scourdon is still only 18 years old and came on strong late last season.
How are stadium renovations progressing?
This is one question that may not merit an immediate answer.
With that season opener against Fresno State fast approaching on Sept. 2, Ross-Ade Stadium looks like there’s still plenty of work to do.
This question is probably better directed at someone other than the head football coach, but is it worrisome that a venue supposed to be hosting a football game in a little more than a month is still looking like a construction zone?
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football: Burning questions ahead of Big Ten media day
