Purdue football practice report Day 1: What we saw, what we learned, what's next
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WEST LAFAYETTE – What we saw, what we learned and what’s next after Day 1 of Purdue practice.
What we saw
▶ Tight end Payne Durham looks good with no hair. Yes, the talented playmaker shaved off his wavey and thick hair and parts his beard to start the 2022 season off. He’s now sporting a goatee.
Durham splashed water on his bald head numerous times during Tuesday’s practice to cool off from the hot and humid conditions. Whether this look is permanent or it’s just a crazy way to begin preseason practices remains to be seen.
Durham wasn’t the only player with a clean look up top. Offensive linemen Eric Miller, Gus Hartwig and Jared Bycznski were seen with no hair on their heads. There might be others and a trend might be starting.
▶ Iowa transfer Charlie Jones will help the Boilermakers. A lot.
Jones flashed plenty of athletic ability in drills and was involved in the return game.
“Charlie can play football,” coach Jeff Brohm said. “We're going to use him a lot of different ways on the outside, on the inside and returning kicks. He’s got good receiving skills, he can run good routes, and he understands football. He definitely will be a big factor for us.”
▶ As expected, the other Iowa transfer – Tyrone Tracy – was featured at receiver and running back.
▶ Good to see linebacker Semisi Fakasiieiki on the field. The seventh-year senior suffered a season-ending ankle injury during last year’s preseason practices.
▶ Receiver Collin Sullivan had a good day. Made some nice catches and quickly turned up field. He'll need to be solid over the next two weeks to find a spot in the rotation.
▶ First-team offensive line at the start of practice - Cam Craig (right tackle), Marcus Mbow (right guard), Hartwig (center), Spencer Holstege (left guard) and Miller (left tackle).
▶ The offensive and defensive linemen were wearing gold Guardian Caps, which is a soft shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction.
The NFL passed a resolution requiring the use of Guardian Caps during training camps. The NFL says that the caps reduce the force from head contact by 10% if one player is using it and 20% if all players are wearing them.
“We’ve thought about that for a couple of years now,” Brohm said. “You see more and more college teams going to that for safety reasons. The NFL had adopted it. We’re looking to use them through camp with our offensive and defensive lines, our linebackers, running backs and tight ends. Anything to help safety-wise, take off some hits and possibly limit concussions.”
▶ Reese Taylor had two interceptions and Jalen Graham had a pick.
Taylor, a transfer from Indiana who attended Ben Davis, is seeing more early playing time at cornerback with projected starters Cory Trice and Jamari Brown being held out. Taylor is going to play this season, but Trice and Brown have the upper hand. At least for now.
Graham’s interception wasn’t a surprise. He’s the best playmaker on the defense. The Boilermakers will move him around and put him in a position to make plays.
▶ For the most part, the quarterbacks looked good. Granted, there were interceptions but not many balls hit the ground. Credit to the quarterbacks and the receivers.
Improvement was noticeable from spring practice, in particular Michael Alaimo and Brady Allen.
“The young guys looked better this first day than they did in the spring,” Brohm said.
▶ Freshman receiver Curtis Deville, Jr., didn't participate in practice but was in attendance. Freshman Jordan Buchanan was wearing a sling after undergoing shoulder surgery.
▶ This is more of what we didn't see - West Lafayette graduate and defensive lineman Mo Omonode.
What we learned
▶ Kobe Lewis, a transfer running back from Central Michigan, showed promise. Lewis didn’t play last season after suffering a knee injury in August and entered the portal.
He was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2019. Right now, he’s splitting time with King Doerue. Lewis flashed some skills Tuesday.
“Kobe can help us,” Brohm said. “He’ll push King in the backfield and has to get up to speed on exactly the terminology and how we practice.”
▶ At Big Ten Media Day, Brohm mentioned Kansas State transfer Tee Denson as a player who could be on the field for the first game, even though the cornerback didn’t practice in the spring and was limited Tuesday.
Brohm said Denson underwent a double sports hernia operation, which has kept him off the field.
“I do think at some point he can help us if it’s not at the beginning by midseason for sure,” Brohm said.
▶ Backup quarterbacks are still being used at the cornerback position, which is thin due to injuries. This happened in the spring. Brandon Calloway was seen limping near the end of practice. Quarterbacks Kyle Adams and Christian Gelov battled the receivers in drills.
What's next
▶ Are any of the players who are limited in the early days of practice closer to returning? Probably not this week.
During his first five seasons, Brohm has placed an emphasis on making sure the team’s best players reach the first game healthy. Several notable players were sidelined Tuesday – cornerbacks Cory Trice and Jamari Brown, defensive tackle Lawrence Johnson, safety Sanoussi Kane and receivers Broc Thompson and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen.
“We're not going to risk damaging them,” Brohm said. “We really need all of them for the first game to help us win. A lot of really good players that still have a little bit to go. The secondary and even at receiver, it’s going to be important we get them back.”
Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier and USA Today Network. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football Day 1: What we saw, what we learned, what's next
