QB Aidan O'Connell on Purdue Revival: 'It's Great To Be a Part of This'
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Aidan's O'Connell story of going from an unknown walk-on to a record-setting Purdue quarterback just doesn't happen very often. But it has, and now it's time for one more go-round as he starts his sixth and final season in West Lafayette.
It starts with a bang, too, with a huge nationally televised game on Thursday night against Penn State at Ross-Ade Stadium. O'Connell was the first guest on the ''Boilers Live'' podcast live from Mad Mushroom Pizza in West Lafayette on Monday night.
Here are the highlights of his interview with BoilermakersCountry.com publisher Tom Brew and podcast host Charlie Adams.
— on decision to return for a sixth season
"That's where it starts, it was a special season last year, not just for me but for our team, too, winning nine games. I love Purdue, love being here, so it was a fun decision for me to come back for another year.''
— on turning things around at Purdue
"If we don't have the season we did last year, I don't know if I'm back at Purdue this year, so it's great to be a part of this. It was so cool to out with some great wins against Illinois and Nebraska, and win a great bowl game. It was all a lot of fun. The bowl season kind of encapsulated the whole season, it was a special win.''
— on winning big games
"I think it starts with our leadership. We've been known for our big upsets, and it starts at the top with our coaches.''
— on the challenges from Penn State
"Any time you go into the first game, it's still always a little different. We're going to expect a few wrinkles from them. Hopefully we can get a good grasp on it based on the film we've watched so far.''
— on emerging stars on offense
"We have guys coming up and some guys who transferred in from other universities. It's cool to see guys mesh together.''
— on his emerging role as a leader
"Football brings it out of you, the competitive edge. I think as my role has developed, it's brought on new responsbilities. I can talk more openly, be more vocal to the whole team.''
— on beating a perennial power like Penn State
"Coming off of our season, we know the pressure and expectations, but we also see the excitement and we understand that. We've addressed a lot in the spring and in summer camp, and this is what you dream of, a national TV game on Thursday night where everyone will be watching.
— on married life after getting married last month
"It's been great, and she's been a great supporter. Fall camp has been busy. We got married on a Saturday and went right back into camp on Monday. Those first few days, I was gone from 7 (in the morning) to 10 at night, so it took some adjustment.
— on coaching at the Manning Academy passing camp
"It was awesome. In high school, I never got to do camps like that, so it was a really cool experience. It was exhausting, but I really got a lot out of it. We worked with kids a lot, but we got to do drills with Peyton (Manning) and Eli too. It was nice to kind of compare yourself to other players from around the country.
Watch the full Aidan O'Connell podcast
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Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.