Purdue football hopeful on Kydran Jenkins' health
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football is hopeful to have its top pass rusher back on the field Friday night against Wisconsin (7 p.m., FS1)
Senior outside linebacker Kydran Jenkins missed the second half of last Saturday's loss to Syracuse.
"He's still going through the rehab process," Purdue football coach Ryan Walters said Monday afternoon. "If he is ready to go, he'll go. If he's not, he won't and it will be next man up."
Next man up, per the Purdue depth chart and based on Saturday's second half, is Will Heldt or Scotty Humpich, who received plenty of reps last spring with Jenkins missing camp.
Jenkins has 13 tackles, including four for loss, and leads the team with three sacks and four quarterback hurries this season.
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The three-year starter, who transitioned from defensive end to outside linebacker in a new defensive scheme, has 12 career sacks.
"He's a great player and it definitely hurt not having him in that second half," Walters said.
Heldt is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound true freshman who was a bright spot throughout the spring after enrolling at Purdue early from nearby Carmel High School.
Heldt had one solo tackle and one assisted tackle each in games against Fresno State and Syracuse.
Humpich is a sixth-year senior who began his career at Murray State, where he was an All-Ohio Valley Conference linebacker. Humpich appeared in 13 games last season for Purdue and recorded 16 tackles, including a sack against Penn State. Humpich sacked Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader on Saturday for his only tackle this season.
"Those guys, they played well in spurts. Other times I know they'd like to have some plays back," Walters said of Heldt and Humpich. "That's in two part.
"One with them playing within the framework of the defense and staying true to their assignment and also from the schematic standpoint, we are asking them to do things that they are capable of doing and doing well. They are both highly capable."
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 hopeful on Kydran Jenkins' health for Friday game
