2023 College Football Catalog: Previewing the Purdue Boilermakers
Josh Frey
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Just like the NFL season is right around the corner, college campuses are preparing to welcome back their football squads for the fall season. As the summer progresses we will be taking a look into how many of the FBS college football programs fared in 2022, what they did during the offseason, and how they can find success during the 2023 season. As we continue our tour through the Big Ten, today, we move onto the Purdue Boilermakers.
Overview
2022 Results
- L vs. Penn State, 31-35
- W vs. Indiana State, 56-0
- L @ Syracuse, 29-32
- W vs. FAU, 28-26
- W @ (21) Minnesota, 20-10
- W @ Maryland, 31-29
- W vs. Nebraska, 43-37
- L @ Wisconsin, 24-35
- L vs. Iowa, 3-24
- W @ (21) Illinois, 31-24
- W vs. Northwestern, 17-9
- @ @ Indiana, 30-16
- L vs. (2) Michigan, 22-43 (Big Ten Championship)
- L vs. (16) LSU, 7-63 (Citrus Bowl)
Overall Record: 8-6 (6-3)
2022 All-Big Ten Members
- QB Aidan O’Connell (Coaches Second-Team, Media Third-Team)
- TE Payne Durham (Coaches Second-Team, Media Third-Team)
Recent Vikings Draft Picks
N/A
2023 Draft Selections
- R4, P131: WR Charlie Jones (Cincinnati Bengals)
- R4, P135: QB Aidan O’Connell (Las Vegas Raiders)
- R5, P171: TE Payne Durham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- R7, P241: CB Cory Trice (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- R7, P255: S Jalen Graham (San Francisco 49ers)
2023 Schedule
- 9/2 vs. Fresno State
- 9/9 @ Virginia Tech
- 9/16 vs. Syracuse
- 9/22 vs. Wisconsin
- 9/30 vs. Illinois
- 10/7 @ Iowa
- 10/14 vs. Ohio State
- 10/28 @ Nebraska
- 11/4 @ Michigan
- 11/11 vs. Minnesota
- 11/18 @ Northwestern
- 11/25 vs. Indiana
Notable Additions
- QB Hudson Card (transfer portal, Texas)
- QB Bennett Meredith (transfer portal, Arizona State)
- WR Jahmal Edrine (transfer portal, FAU)
- OT Luke Griffin (transfer portal, Missouri)
- IOL Preston Nichols (transfer portal, UNLV)
- DL Malik Langham (transfer portal, Vanderbilt)
- DL Jeffrey M’ba (transfer portal, Auburn)
- CB Markevious Brown (transfer portal, Ole Miss)
- CB Salim Turner-Muhammad (transfer portal, Stanford)
- CB Marquis Wilson (transfer portal, Penn State)
- S Anthony Brown (transfer portal, Arkansas)
- S Braxton Myers (transfer portal, Ole Miss)
- HC Ryan Walters (defensive coordinator, Illinois)
- OC Graham Harrell (offensive coordinator, West Virginia)
Notable Losses
- QB Michael Alaimo (transfer portal, Kent State)
- QB Brady Allen (transfer portal, Louisville)
- QB Aidan O’Connell (NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders)
- RB Kentrell Marks (transfer portal, undecided)
- RB King Doerue (transfer portal, California)
- WR Charlie Jones (NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals)
- TE Payne Durham (NFL Draft, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- OT Eric Miller (transfer portal, Louisville)
- IOL Spencer Holstege (transfer portal, UCLA)
- DL Branson Dean (transfer portal, Miami)
- DL Lawrence Johnson (transfer portal, Auburn)
- DL Jack Sullivan (transfer portal, USC)
- EDGE Greg Hudgins (transfer portal, Charlotte)
- CB Cory Trice (NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- S Jalen Graham (NFL Draft, San Francisco 49ers)
- HC Jeff Brohm (head coach, Louisville)
Keys to 2023
A Revamped Offense
Purdue was a top passing offense in the Big Ten under Jeff Brohm, ranking second in passing yards during the 2022 season, behind only Ohio State. However, Brohm is now the head coach for Louisville, and the Boilermakers have new personnel at offensive coordinator in Graham Walters as well as QB with Texas transfer Hudson Card taking over the signal-calling duties from Aidan O’Connell. This new trio has a lot to prove, especially in a schedule that includes all of Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.
Can Walters Translate Recent Success to Purdue’s Defense?
The biggest problems for Purdue in 2022 stemmed from the defensive side of the ball. They are hoping to fix those with the addition of Walters at head coach, who is coming off a 2022 season where as defensive coordinator for Illinois, the Fighting Illini allowed just 12.8 points per game. Last season, Purdue allowed 27.4 points per game, so there is a lot of work to do in that department.
RB Devin Mockobee’s Emergence as a Rusher
After walking on with the team in 2021, Devin Mockobee managed to become one of the biggest “feel-good” stories in all of college football during the 2022 season. He took over the reins as the lead running back in Purdue’s backfield and rushed 195 times for 968 yards and 9 TDs. He also added 32 receptions for an additional 274 yards.
Now, as Card attempts to learn a new offensive scheme with the Boilermakers, Mockobee’s continued success on the ground will be crucial, particularly early in the season, if they want to remain in the hunt for their second consecutive Big Ten title game appearance.
Prediction
- W vs. Fresno State
- W @ Virginia Tech
- W vs. Syracuse
- L vs. Wisconsin
- W vs. Illinois
- L @ Iowa
- L vs. Ohio State
- L @ Nebraska
- L @ Michigan
- L vs. Minnesota
- W @ Northwestern
- W vs. Indiana
Overall Record: 6-6 (3-6)
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.