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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Purdue

Previous 15 Notes

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01/01/22 - Tyler Witt, rSr/2022, Purdue + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Tyler Witt,...The trio of Hartwig (center), Long (left tackle) and Witt (right guard) has been a staple on the Purdue offensive line all season long. Hartwig and Witt have started all 12 games for the Boilermakers, while Long has made 11 starts protecting the quarterback's blindside. With the help of their blocking, Purdue has set a new school record for completions in a single season (381), snapping the 23-year old record of 377 with one game still to play. The three Boilermakers also protect the second-best passing offense in the Big Ten, as Purdue averages 340.4 yards per game through the air. - Purdue Football

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OG Tyler Witt, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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01/01/22 - *David Bell, Jr/2022, Purdue + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM (COACHES): WR David Bell, Purdue,...One of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, Bell has been one of the best receivers nationwide. The Indianapolis native leads the Big Ten in catches per game (8.5) and receiving yards per game (116.9), ranking second and fourth in the country, respectively. With 1,286 receiving yards on the year, Bell is just 21 yards shy of the school record for a single season.

Eclipsing the 100-yard plateau in seven of his 11 games this season, Bell has set a new Purdue record with 17 career 100-yard receiving games. He also ranks in the school's all-time Top 10 for receptions (4th), receiving yards (5th) and receiving touchdowns (T-5th). Bell is averaging an FBS-leading 101.6 receiving yards per game for his career, the only active receiver in triple digits. His 8.0 receptions per game is currently the 2nd-most for an active NCAA career. - Purdue Football

Jr/2022

WR *David Bell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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01/01/22 - Jaylan Alexander, Sr/2022, Purdue + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Jaylan Alexander,...Alexander earned the accolades for the second straight season. The senior linebacker leads Purdue with 95 tackles, which includes his giant 15-tackle game against Wisconsin. For that single game performance, Alexander became just the fifth Boilermaker since 2000 to tally at least 15 tackles in a contest. - Purdue Football

Sr/2022

ILB Jaylan Alexander, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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01/01/22 - Milton Wright, rSr/2024, Purdue + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Milton Wright,...Alongside Bell, Wright has had a strong 2021 season of his own. The Boilermaker wide receiver has tallied 732 yards on 57 catches. His seven receiving touchdowns leads the team and ranks fifth in the Big Ten. Wright had a career day against Northwestern (Nov. 20), hauling in eight receptions for 213 yards and three touchdowns to earn career highs in all three categories. The performance was Wright's first multi-touchdown game of his career, and he joined Bell as Boilermaker wide receivers recording a trio of receiving touchdowns in a game this season. In fact, only four other Big Ten receivers have scored at least three touchdowns in a game during the 2021 campaign. - Purdue Football

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WR Milton Wright, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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01/01/22 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Mitchell Fineran,...Five other Boilermakers on the offensive side of the ball earned honorable mention accolades: Payne Durham, Gus Hartwig, Greg Long, Tyler Witt and Milton Wright. - Purdue Football

rSr/2023

QB Aidan OConnell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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01/01/22 - Jalen Graham, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Jalen Graham,...Graham's season is highlighted by a two-interception game at Nebraska. He returned one of them for a touchdown, becoming the first Boilermaker to register a pick-six since 2019. Graham's performance against the Cornhuskers helped him earn Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 1). - Purdue Football

rSr/2023

OLB Jalen Graham, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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12/30/22 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

Purdue came into the Music City Bowl short-handed and banged-up, particularly at wide receiver. The Boilermakers are going home winners after a game that had people clicking over to catch an amazing finish. Mitchell Fineran kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime and Purdue finished off its best season since 2003 by overcoming a 14-point deficit and beating Tennessee 48-45 on Thursday in a record-setting Music City Bowl. Purdue's Aidan O'Connell threw for 534 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.

He couldn't explain the final five minutes of regulation as the teams combined to score four TDs - two apiece. "It's why you love the game, it's why it keeps bringing you back," O'Connell said. "The fact it's unknown. No one knows what's going to happen. It's not a movie or TV show where the actors get retries. It seems like the world's watching and anything could happen." Purdue (9-4) tied for the second-most wins in program history as only the 12th team in the Boilermakers' 134-year history to win nine games. They also won their fifth game away from home, something they hadn't done since 1943. "We found a way to just barely win," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. - Purdue/AP College Football

rSr/2023

QB Aidan OConnell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue/AP College Football
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12/16/21 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

No one outside of the Brohm brothers - Jeff and Brian - really knew much about Aidan O'Connell when he arrived as a walk-on in 2017. At that time, O'Connell was just another quarterback looking to measure his skills against other quarterbacks at the Big Ten level, bypassing an opportunity to play at a Division III program to chase his dream. O'Connell had the confidence he could play, but would the native of Long Grove, Illinois ever get the chance to prove himself before his eligibility was exhausted? Move ahead five years and now Purdue fans couldn't wait to hear from O'Connell about whether he would return for his sixth season. The announcement came Monday that O'Connell will return for the 2022 season, giving the Boilermakers their starting quarterback nine months before the opener. "It's just been a crazy road," O'Connell said. "I definitely could not have seen this going this way, but I'm very happy it did. Hopefully, a lot more good memories here." - Journal and Courier

rSr/2023

QB Aidan OConnell, Purdue
News Source: Journal and Courier
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12/14/21 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

Aidan O'Connell will return for one last ride as Purdue's quarterback. O'Connell, who has been intermittently starting since the end of the 2019 season and fully captured the role midway through the 2021 season, announced his intent to return to the program for one more season in a Monday morning tweet. The tweet also confirmed he would play in the upcoming Music City Bowl against Tennessee in Nashville. O'Connell began his Purdue career as a walk-on, seeing the field for the first time as a junior during an October game against Penn State. He would get his first significant snaps after then-redshirt freshman Jack Plummer injured his ankle late in the Boilermakers' 2019 game against Nebraska. - Purdue Exponent

rSr/2023

QB Aidan OConnell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Exponent
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12/09/21 - *David Bell, Jr/2022, Purdue + More +

2021 BILETNIKOFF AWARD FINALIST: David Bell, Purdue,...One of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, Bell has been one of the best receivers nationwide. The Indianapolis native leads the Big Ten in catches per game (8.5) and receiving yards per game (116.9), ranking second and fourth in the country, respectively. With 1,286 receiving yards on the year, Bell is just 21 yards shy of the school record for a single season. Eclipsing the 100-yard plateau in seven of his 11 games this season, Bell has set a new Purdue record with 17 career 100-yard receiving games. He also ranks in the school's all-time Top 10 for receptions (4th), receiving yards (5th) and receiving touchdowns (T-5th). Bell is averaging an FBS-leading 101.6 receiving yards per game for his career, the only active receiver in triple digits. His 8.0 receptions per game is currently the 2nd-most for an active NCAA career. - Purdue Football

Jr/2022

WR *David Bell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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12/01/21 - *David Bell, Jr/2022, Purdue + More +

2021 BIG TEN RICHTER-HOWARD RECEIVER OF THE YEAR (COACHES): David Bell, Purdue,...Bell became the second Purdue wide receiver to be selected as the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year, joining Rondale Moore, who won the award in 2018. The honor is named after Big Ten legends Pat Richter (Wisconsin) and Desmond Howard (Michigan). One of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, Bell has been one of the best receivers nationwide. The Indianapolis native leads the Big Ten in catches per game (8.5) and receiving yards per game (116.9), ranking second and fourth in the country, respectively. With 1,286 receiving yards on the year, Bell is just 21 yards shy of the school record for a single season.

WR *David Bell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue Football
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11/30/21 - Charlie Jones, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

2021 BIG TEN RODGERS-DWIGHT RETURN SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Charlie Jones, Iowa,...University of Iowa senior defensive back Riley Moss has been named the Big Ten Conference Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year and senior wide receiver Charlie Jones has been named the Big Ten Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year. Jones becomes the second Hawkeye to win Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year. Ihmir Smith-Marsette won the award in 2018. Jones leads the conference and ranks second in the NCAA in total kick return yards (605). Jones also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in Iowa's win over Illinois on Nov. 20. - Iowa Football

rSr/2023

WR Charlie Jones, Purdue
News Source: Iowa Football
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11/27/21 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

Aidan O'Connell tied a career high with four touchdown passes and Zander Horvath ran for another score Saturday as Purdue won the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 2018 with a 44-7 victory over Indiana. The Boilermakers (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) have won four of five to post their highest single-season victory total since 2006. It was the most lopsided game in the series since 2008 when Purdue won 62-10 in the late Joe Tiller's final regular-season game as coach. Indiana (2-10, 0-9) lost its last eight games, finishing its first winless season in league play since 2011. But the annual in-state battle, which was canceled twice last season because of COVID-19, certainly carried some of the traditional rivalry themes. There were big plays, hard hits, loud chants and plenty of penalties on a rainy, windy afternoon that eventually gave way to clearing skies as night fell over cold, sold out Ross-Ade Stadium.

Purdue took control with a quick start. Horvath capped the opening possession with a 1-yard scoring plunge that was originally ruled a fumble and recovered by the Boilermakers in the end zone. Indiana tied the score on a 2-yard run from Donaven McCulley and then Purdue started pulling away. O'Connell's 24-yard TD pass to Paul Piferi broke the tie early in the second quarter and Mitchell Finneran's 32-yard field gave Purdue a 17-7 halftime lead. The Boilermakers sealed it early in the second half when O'Connell threw TD passes on each of the first two drives - 21 yards to Jackson Anthrop and 5 yards to T.J. Sheffield - to make it 31-7 midway through the third. O'Connell threw a 20-yard pass to David Bell before departing early in the fourth. O'Connell was 26 of 31 with 278 yards. Bell had six catches for 79 yards in what could be his final home game. - Purdue/AP College Football

rSr/2023

QB Aidan OConnell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue/AP College Football
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11/20/21 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

Aidan O'Connell threw three touchdown passes to Milton Wright on Saturday to lead Purdue to a 32-14 victory over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. O'Connell was 29 for 39 for 423 yards and Wright had 213 yards on eight catches — both career highs - to help the Boilermakers (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) erase memories of last weekend's 59-31 drubbing at Ohio State. "Today was my day and I had to execute," Wright said. "(O'Connell) is a great quarterback and I'm happy I could make the plays." Evan Hull had 96 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries as the Wildcats (3-8, 1-7) dropped their fifth straight.

The Boilermakers never trailed and scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half to give themselves some breathing room. Wright, who'd never caught more than one touchdown before Saturday, had scoring catches of 17 and 45 yards in the third quarter to cap his best game. David Bell had 12 receptions for 101 yards and seemed to draw more attention from the Wildcats. It left Wright in frequent mismatches on the left side of the field. "They were covering David and it left a lot of one-on-one opportunities on that side of the field," O'Connell said. "We had to take advantage of those." - Purdue/AP College Football

rSr/2023

QB Aidan OConnell, Purdue
News Source: Purdue/AP College Football
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11/09/21 - Aidan OConnell, rSr/2023, Purdue + More +

NOV 8 BIG TEN CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Aidan O'Connell, Purdue, QB – Sr. – Long Grove, Ill. – Stevenson (Ill.),...Completed 40 of 54 passes (.741 pct.) for a career-high 536 yards and career-high-tying three touchdowns in Purdue's win over No. 3 Michigan State. O'Connell's 536 passing yards are the third-most in a single game in Purdue history, the fifth-most in a game in Big Ten history and the second-most in a game by an FBS quarterback in 2021...According to College Football Reference, recorded the highest single-game completion percentage (.741 pct.) by a Big Ten quarterback with at least 50 attempts since 2000...Registered the second-most completions in a game in Purdue history (40) and set a new record for passing yards in a Big Ten game by a Boilermaker quarterback, surpassing Drew Brees' 522 yards vs. Minnesota on Oct. 3, 1998...Garners the first Offensive Player of the Week honor of his career...Last Purdue Offensive Player of the Week: David Bell (Oct. 18, 2021). - Big Ten Football

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