Purdue Football to Utilize Offensive Line Depth, Rotation Throughout 2022 Season
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Purdue enters the 2022 college football season, the team has put together a deep rotation of offensive linemen with plenty of game experience despite losing a veteran in Greg Long this offseason.
With a stable of bodies to plug into the trenches, coach Jeff Brohm is willing to deploy multiple players up front on game days to keep the unit healthy throughout the year.
"I could see us probably playing around eight offensive linemen. If it goes up to nine, it wouldn't shock me," Brohm said Monday. "Keeping guys healthy and fresh is going to be important as well. But we do feel like, at this point, there is some more depth and guys that are getting closer to getting on the field."
Upperclassmen Eric Miller, Spencer Holstege and Gus Hartwig — who each appeared in and started all 13 games for the Boilermakers last season — will anchor the left side of the offensive line. It's the right guard and right tackle positions that still raise some questions heading into Thursday's season opener against Penn State.
Redshirt junior Cam Craig is projected to be the team's starting right tackle, but he is a player that has missed significant time during his college career due to injuries. He appeared in 12 games for the Boilermakers a season ago, making just two starts.
Purdue brought in transfers Sione Finau (FIU) and Daniel Johnson (Kent State) in the offseason to bolster the team's depth. Both have playing experience for their previous programs and are expected to see playing time for the Boilermakers in 2022.
Sophomores Marcus Mbow and Mahamane Moussa have made strides heading into their second season with the program, putting them in line to potentially be a part of the rotation this upcoming season as well.
"In that position as well as the others, who are going to be the difference makers?" said Brohm. "Who can we count on? Who can make plays? Who can be dominant in every game? Those are guys you like to see."
The early stages of the season will serve to uncover what lineups will be the most effective as Purdue trudges through its 2022 schedule.
"We just have to get difference makers to emerge, and sometimes you don't know until you get them on the field. That's where we're a little young right now. These first couple games will tell us who those guys will be."
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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.