Austin Burton's Improvements at Quarterback are 'Night and Day' for Purdue Football
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There was never a singular moment when it just clicked for Purdue quarterback Austin Burton. But after training, studying throughout the spring and summer, coaches around him witnessed a gradual increase in comfortability with the playbook.
Burton believes knowledge has been a huge development in his game. Now, with a better grasp of the team's concepts, the UCLA transfer is in the running for the starting quarterback spot as the program progresses through fall camp.
"It's night and day, and he worked his butt off last year to learn it as fast as he could," Purdue quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm said. "He got here right when camp started last year, so especially in an offense like ours that is complex, that's high verbiage, it's tough."
Burton, a senior with the Boilermakers, has appeared in just six games during his four-year college career, and he didn't make an appearance for Purdue in 2020. He certainly doesn't offer the game experience brought to the table by quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell and Jack Plummer.
However, Burton argues that he adds a level of athleticism to the quarterback room. As the team continues to evaluate its signal-callers through training camp, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound passer needs something to give him an edge.
In his lone start at UCLA in 2019, he completed 27 of his 41 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown in a 48-31 loss against Oregon State. He also added 64 rushing yards and another score on 15 carries.
"I would argue that I'm pretty athletic," he said. "I can run pretty well, on top of decision making. Things like that."
Last season, O'Connell and Plummer combined for 28 rushing attempts in six games. Together, they netted a loss of 43 yards on those carries. In two years playing for the Boilermakers, O'Connell has never finished the season with positive rushing yards.
While in a reserve role for the Bruins, Burton tallied 100 total rushing yards in six games. He also boasts a 68.8% completion rate in those contests while compiling 365 passing yards.
Should he prove himself in the weeks leading up to Sept. 4 and earn the title of starting quarterback, Burton's first start with Purdue would be against the same team that beat him in his first start at UCLA.
And with conviction he's displaying in practice, it would only be fitting for Burton to earn a season-opening win against the Beavers in front of fans inside Ross-Ade Stadium.
"I think it's just playing with more confidence," Burton said. "The more you understand really anything you do in life ... you'll be better at it."
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.