Purdue Freshman Quarterback Brady Allen Compiles Successful Spring as Early Enrollee
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Spring practices are officially in the books for Purdue football, and freshman quarterback Brady Allen now has 15 days of film to analyze as he continues to progress through the summer and into fall camp.
The early enrollee from Gibson Southern High School fully understands there's more to be done as he prepares for his first year of college football, but the spring will serve as a springboard into the rest of the offseason.
"I would say there's a lot of work to do," Allen said. "It's a day-by-day process, there's a difference of being able to know it when you're sitting down, and then being able to process it on the field. So trying to get to that point where it's just natural recall is huge for me. Just trying to be a sponge to trying to learn as much as possible."
Allen has had a stable of quarterbacks to lean on that are veterans in the Boilermakers' offensive system. Starting signal-caller Aidan O'Connell, who joined the program as a walk-on, is entering his sixth season with the program.
Graduate student Austin Burton and redshirt sophomore Michael Alaimo both find themselves in their third years at Purdue having vastly improved their knowledge of the playbook. The two will be vying for the team's backup spot during the 2022 season.
"We have a talented room," O'Connell said. "Guys are smart, guys are great football players that can throw the ball, that can run the ball. It brings competition every day. Obviously, there's a business aspect of it and you have to perform, so these guys understand that it's a competition. We love each other and make each other better."
The improvements in the quarterback room over the last two months culminated in Purdue's annual spring game on Saturday inside Ross-Ade Stadium. All four scholarship quarterbacks had the chance to throw the football, as well as a trio of walk-ons.
Allen saw plenty of action, completing four of his eight passes for 57 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. His longest throw was a 22-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Zion Steptoe, a fellow early enrollee this spring.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound freshman didn't waver in the face of live repetitions.
"It's been the process of learning through spring practice being able to come out here and have some success," Allen said. "And then using the stuff that I know, being able to process and kind of see how things develop has been a big thing.
"I don't really get nervous too often, so not a lot of nerves going into (Saturday). But just making sure I was able to process everything and know what I was doing."
There are high hopes for Allen as he continues to find his way with the Purdue football program, but quarterback development doesn't happen overnight. He'll be in West Lafayette for summer workouts, continue to dive into the playbook and come prepared for the start of fall camp.
"It's been great that he's come into spring because he's had 15 practices against college football players," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "The speed of the game is something that he's had to get adjusted to.
"Learning the terminologies and adjustments, those are things that always happen. And the fact that it's able to happen while he's still a senior in high school is great. We'll continue to work through that, but we're happy as heck to have him and we think he has a bright future."
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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.