Purdue football enters fall camp full of confidence
WEST LAFAYETTE — Ryan Walters wanted to build a Purdue football environment where players are confident and comfortable.
The Boilermakers don't lack confidence.
That's for sure.
A season after winning the Big Ten West, and despite a coaching staff and roster overhaul, Purdue football players see no reason they can't replicate, or surpass, the success of a year ago.
"Higher. More than that," said offensive tackle Marcus Mbow, a freshman All-American last season as a guard. "Since day one, since coach Walters stepped in, the train has been bigger than that. We’ve been working towards that every single day. No hiding it."
Big Ten media members aren't as certain.
In the annual Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason football poll, Purdue was picked to finish sixth in the division.
That's provided a chip on the shoulders of the Boilermakers.
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"We love it. That’s all I’m going to say, we love it," fifth-year safety Cam Allen said. "The mindset here is straight work. That’s all we want to do is work. Of course we go in here, we talk about certain things in the locker room here and there, but yeah, honestly, like Marcus said, straight work and everything else is just going to happen in the end."
Walters believes, at least up until now, he's coaching a team full of players with no egos.
However, there is swagger that starts with the first-time head coach and trickles throughout the roster.
"I encourage them to be individuals and then be a team once we step foot on the grass," Walters said. "Up to this point, that’s what they’ve done."
It's still a month from the season opener against Fresno State.
Aside from injuries, which held out some of Purdue's top projected players this season, there's been little adversity so far under a new regime.
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That will change as the weeks progress, but for now, Purdue doesn't anticipate any setbacks with everything that's changed since last competing in the Citrus Bowl in January.
"Everybody has bought in. Everybody is excited," Mbow said. "Speaking for myself, I was way excited to get out here for the first day in the heat and come play. It’s just the new vibe around here. Everybody’s loving to play football, loving the work."
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 enters fall camp full of confidence
