WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football completed its first week of spring practice Friday afternoon, once against taking the field inside the Mollenkopf Athletic Center.
The offense took center stage Friday, an exciting brand of moving the football under head coach Jeff Brohm. Last season was no different as the Boilermakers had one of the best passing attacks in the country. Purdue averaged 355 yards through the air, ranking fifth nationally.
Leading the high-powered offense is Aidan O'Connell, the sixth-year quarterback out of Long Grove, Illinois. O'Connell burst onto the scene last year in the Minnesota game, throwing for 371 yards on a rainy afternoon. He held onto the starting quarterback job for the rest of the year and turned in a record-breaking season. Along with throwing for 3,712 yards, O'Connell completed 71.8 percent of his passes to easily set a new school record for completion percentage in a single season.
"Aidan is playing at a high level. Very accurate, has a full understanding of the offense, and he is a great leader," said offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm. "You can tell that season last year gave him a lot of confidence in his ability. Knowing that he's the guy will be beneficial for him, having a whole offseason of being that guy that everyone looks towards and being the leader of the team. I think he's going to be great in that role."
Earning Second Team All-Big Ten accolades last season, O'Connell brings his accurate arm as well as veteran leadership to the 2022 squad. Now with a full offseason as the starting quarterback, he knows what it takes to be successful and lead the Boilermakers on and off the field.
"It takes a lot of effort, hard work, extra work, and I love to do those things," said O'Connell. "It doesn't seem like a burden – you got to go out there and perform. This is a 'what have you done for me lately' type of business, and I understand that."
Along with O'Connell, Jack Albers and Austin Burton return with playing experience from a season ago. Newcomers include Kyle Adams, a transfer from James Madison and a West Lafayette native, and true freshman Brady Allen from Ft. Branch, Indiana. Despite O'Connell holding the starting job, there is not a lack of competition amongst the quarterbacks.
"We still create that competition in our room with how we're grading practice, grading each rep, because those guys want to be at the top all the time," said Brohm. "That's good as well, keeping the room strong with good players."
Allen, who won Indiana's Mr. Football as the best high school player in the state last year, graduated high school early to enroll at Purdue to go through spring practice. Making the jump from high school to college is not easy, but Allen is putting in the work to learn the playbook.
"I think he's doing really good for someone coming in as an early enrollee trying to pick up our offense, which is a lot of volume. It's a lot to learn, take in, process for your first time through, and he's doing really good with it," Brohm said of the young freshman Allen.
Purdue continues practice Monday, March 7 at 4 p.m., with the session open to the public. Taking photos or recording video during the practice is strictly prohibited.
The offense took center stage Friday, an exciting brand of moving the football under head coach Jeff Brohm. Last season was no different as the Boilermakers had one of the best passing attacks in the country. Purdue averaged 355 yards through the air, ranking fifth nationally.
Leading the high-powered offense is Aidan O'Connell, the sixth-year quarterback out of Long Grove, Illinois. O'Connell burst onto the scene last year in the Minnesota game, throwing for 371 yards on a rainy afternoon. He held onto the starting quarterback job for the rest of the year and turned in a record-breaking season. Along with throwing for 3,712 yards, O'Connell completed 71.8 percent of his passes to easily set a new school record for completion percentage in a single season.
"Aidan is playing at a high level. Very accurate, has a full understanding of the offense, and he is a great leader," said offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm. "You can tell that season last year gave him a lot of confidence in his ability. Knowing that he's the guy will be beneficial for him, having a whole offseason of being that guy that everyone looks towards and being the leader of the team. I think he's going to be great in that role."
Earning Second Team All-Big Ten accolades last season, O'Connell brings his accurate arm as well as veteran leadership to the 2022 squad. Now with a full offseason as the starting quarterback, he knows what it takes to be successful and lead the Boilermakers on and off the field.
"It takes a lot of effort, hard work, extra work, and I love to do those things," said O'Connell. "It doesn't seem like a burden – you got to go out there and perform. This is a 'what have you done for me lately' type of business, and I understand that."
Along with O'Connell, Jack Albers and Austin Burton return with playing experience from a season ago. Newcomers include Kyle Adams, a transfer from James Madison and a West Lafayette native, and true freshman Brady Allen from Ft. Branch, Indiana. Despite O'Connell holding the starting job, there is not a lack of competition amongst the quarterbacks.
"We still create that competition in our room with how we're grading practice, grading each rep, because those guys want to be at the top all the time," said Brohm. "That's good as well, keeping the room strong with good players."
Allen, who won Indiana's Mr. Football as the best high school player in the state last year, graduated high school early to enroll at Purdue to go through spring practice. Making the jump from high school to college is not easy, but Allen is putting in the work to learn the playbook.
"I think he's doing really good for someone coming in as an early enrollee trying to pick up our offense, which is a lot of volume. It's a lot to learn, take in, process for your first time through, and he's doing really good with it," Brohm said of the young freshman Allen.
Purdue continues practice Monday, March 7 at 4 p.m., with the session open to the public. Taking photos or recording video during the practice is strictly prohibited.