Big Ten Daily: Purdue Football Named Jack Plummer Starting Quarterback

Purdue coach Jeff Brohm names Jack Plummer the team's starting quarterback, five-star recruit Shemar Stewart includes Ohio State in top five and Maryland hires Mike Canales as an analyst. Here's the latest from around the Big Ten.

Purdue coach Jeff Brohm announced Thursday that junior Jack Plummer will open the 2021 season under center for the Boilermakers. 

"I think he's earned it. He worked extremely hard, and he's got great leadership skills," Brohm said. "He wants to win, he wants to put in the work, his teammates respect him."

Plummer earned the nod over fifth-year senior Aidan O'Connell and senior Austin Burton. He will be the third different quarterback to start a season opener for Purdue in the last three seasons.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound signal-caller has appeared in 10 games for the Boilermakers, including nine starts. He's tallied passing 2,541 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

During the 2020 season, Plummer completed 88 of his 124 pass attempts for 938 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

As of now, neither O'Connell nor Burton have been officially named the backup quarterback to Plummer. But Brohm made it clear that each of them will need to be ready in case their number is called.

"We feel good that that position has worked hard, it has improved," Brohm said. "Obviously, you have to prove it in the game, but I think they know that if their opportunity comes it's going to be up to them to go out there and be prepared to be ready to go and prove that you can execute and help your team score.

"But I do think that all of our quarterbacks are great young men. They get along well and respect each other and want to help the team win. And that's exactly what we need."

Purdue opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 4 against Oregon State at Ross-Ade Stadium. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on FOX Sports 1. As of Thursday, Purdue is a 6.5-point favorite according to sports gambling website Fanduel.com. The over/under is 65.5 points.

For more from out Sports Illustrated Purdue site, Boilermakers Country, simply CLICK HERE. 

2022 5-Star DT Includes Ohio State in Top 5

Shemar Stewart, a 2022 five-star defensive tackle from Monsignor Pace High School in Opa Locka, Florida, announced his top-five programs Thursday night. He is considering Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State alongside Texas A&M, Miami, Georgia and Clemson.

Stewart is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound prospect and is ranked as the No. 8 recruit in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is rated as the third-best recruit at his position and the top prospect in his home state of Florida.

Before narrowing his list to five schools, Stewart held offers from 33 different programs. He has not yet taken an official visit but is scheduled to visit Texas A&M on Friday, Oct. 8.

As of now, Stewart has not announced when he will make his decision.

Maryland Hires Former SEC Assistant Mike Canales

With less than two weeks before the start of the 2021 college football season for Maryland football, coach Mike Locksley made an addition to the team's coaching staff.

The Terrapins brought in former UTEP offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mike Canales to serve as an analyst. He has also spent time as the offensive coordinator at North Texas, USF and Arizona.

Former UTEP OC/QB coach Mike Canales is an analyst at Maryland, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Canales also previously was QB coach at Tennessee & OC at North Texas, USF & Arizona

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 26, 2021

Canales confirmed the hire by updating his Twitter biography. He has experience as a head coach during interim stints in 2010 and 2015 with North Texas. In those two seasons, Canales posted a record of 3-9.

Maryland is coming off a 2-3 season in 2020, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Terrapins haven't posted a winning record since 2014.

Maryland opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 4 against West Virginia. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET. As of Friday morning, Maryland is a 3.5-point underdog according to sports gambling website Fanduel.com. The over/under is 55.5 points.