3 Players Who Need to Step Up for Purdue Football Following Injury to Jalen Graham

The Purdue defense suffered a big loss with the injury to starter Jalen Graham. In the wake of his absence, here are three players that will need to step up for the Boilermakers.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football will be without star defender Jalen Graham for the near future. The linebacker-safety hybrid was unable to play in the team's recent game against Indiana State and is likely to miss the next few weeks. 

“To his credit, he tried to practice," coach Jeff Brohm said following the team's 56-0 win over the Sycamores. "Most others probably wouldn’t. So we didn’t really know how severe it was until we got it looked at later in the week. He’s gonna be out for an extended period of time.”

Purdue's Jalen Graham (6) celebrates after getting a stop during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Iowa, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa :: © Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

In Graham's absence, the Boilermakers will turn toward a handful of players to help fill the massive hole on the defensive side of the ball. But it will be no small task, as the 6'2" and 220-pound athlete was able to offer versatility in truck loads. 

From his hybrid position, Graham had the ability to stop the run, blitz and cover opposing players from the nickel. In the team's season opener against Penn State, he recorded six total tackles and one pass breakup. 

"Jalen is a big part of the defense, done a great job for us," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "Probably our most valuable player on that side of the ball. You're able to kind of play a lot of different personnel sets with him in there because he's a big athletic body that can play the run and the pass." 

With Graham out of the lineup, here are three players that will need to step up for the Boilermakers in the coming weeks: 

1. Fifth-year safety Chris Jefferson 

Chris Jefferson, after transferring to the program before the 2021 season from the University of Findley, has become a mainstay in the Purdue secondary. He appeared in 12 games last year, recording 47 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and one interception. 

He started his second season for the Boilermakers with a bang, intercepting a pass in the opener against Penn State and returning it 72 yards for a touchdown to give Purdue a 31-28 lead in the fourth quarter. 

PICK SIX PURDUE 🚂🚂🚂🚂

Chris Jefferson runs it back 72 yards for the @BoilerFootball touchdown pic.twitter.com/ggNXfijweM

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2022

Jefferson has already recorded seven total tackles and a pair of pass deflections in the first two games of the season. With Graham out of the lineup, he will need to take on a bigger role in pass coverage out of the nickel in pass-specific situations. 

2. Redshirt junior linebacker Jacob Wahlberg

Jacob Wahlberg is a 6'4", 235-pound linebacker who hasn't quite had an opportunity to break into a big role for the Purdue defense so far in his career. A former 3-star recruit out of Mona Shores High School in Muskegon, Mich., he appeared in 14 games for the Boilermakers before this season. 

As a freshman, Wahlberg played in four games as a reserve before not playing the following year. In 2020, he played 10 games on special teams and tallied seven total tackles, including a career-high four stops in the team's 49-0 blowout against UConn. 

So far this season, Wahlberg has appeared in both of Purdue's games in 2022, coming away with four total tackles, which have all been solo efforts. With his size at the linebacker position, he will offer the ability to set the edge in run support against opponents with a potent rushing attack. 

3. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Ben Kreul 

Ben Kreul is another 3-star recruit for Purdue football that is looking to take advantage of his opportunities. As a freshman in 2020, he did not play but came back as a redshirt freshman to appear in 10 games. 

During the 2021 season, Kreul made four total tackles, including a pair of stops in the team's 32-14 victory over Northwestern. The 6'3", 215-pound linebacker from Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha, Wis., recorded his first tackles of the season against Indiana State in Week 2. 

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