After Injury-Plagued Season, Purdue Confident in Depth Along Offensive Line
Ryan Walters wasn't interested in playing musical chairs along the offensive line for a second consecutive season. When the opportunity arose for Purdue to bolster its roster in the trenches, the second-year coach took advantage.
The Boilermakers didn't just get bit by the injury bug, they were devoured like ants on a candy bar. Marcus Mbow, Gus Hartwig, Luke Griffin and Mahamane Moussa all missed time last season, leaving Purdue scrambling to fill gaps up front.
Yet Purdue continued to scratch, claw and fight until the very end, winning two of its final three games to end the 2023 campaign.
"Especially up front, we got hit with an injury bug like I've never really seen last year," said offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. "What I was most proud of from those guys — no excuses. But they never blinked. And, to be honest with you, towards the end, I thought they played as well as they had played all year. That was with a really beat-up unit.
"Adding depth to that position was obviously going to be super important for us. You don't want to get to the point where you feel like you can't even practice. I think we added talent and quality depth there."
Despite the injury woes, Purdue still finished the 2023 season third in the Big Ten in rushing yardage (169.1 ypg), sixth in scoring (23.9 ppg) and seventh in total offense (380.3 ypg). Those aren't bad numbers for a"patchwork offensive line.
Obviously, there's no guarantee that Purdue can avoid injury along the offensive line. But Walters didn't want to put his team in a similar position. Through the transfer portal, he didn't only address depth, he also wanted to add more size and strength to the unit.
"We added six offensive linemen and the smallest one is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds," Walters said. "Definitely got bigger. This is the Big Ten, so you've got to be big."
Purdue added Joey Tanona (Notre Dame), DJ Wingfield (New Mexico), Corey Stewart (Ball State) and Joshua Sales (Indiana) via the transfer portal. The Boilermakers also brought in junior college linemen in Jaekwon Bouldin and Rod Green.
Additionally, Purdue returns Hartwig, Mbow and Moussa, all three expected to be starters when the Boilers take the field against Indiana State on Aug. 31.
To say Purdue's offensive line is in better shape than a season ago would be an understatement. This is a group that Walters and his staff feels really good about heading into 2024. With a deeper, more experienced and more talented roster up front, there's a lot of belief the Boilermakers can be more explosive.
While Purdue might be in better position than a season ago, there's still a lot of questions early in fall camp and nothing has been determined.
"We're not close. Nowhere near close," Walters said when asked if he's settled on a starting offensive line. "We still have how many days until the 31st?
"We've got time and we'll take our time. When people start to separate themselves, we'll make that decision."
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