sam king, lafayette journal & courier
·4 min read
WEST LAFAYETTE — Leland Smith was on Purdue football's radar but ended up a late addition to the 2024 signing class.
Head coach Ryan Walters was impressed by receiver's 6-foot-4 frame and blazing speed.
"He is one of probably the top-five fastest guys on the team," Walters said.
Smith, who had 655 yards receiving and nine touchdowns in nine games last season at Fullerton College, went through college visits when looking for a school to transfer to. His final visit was to West Lafayette.
"I was glad I was able to see other schools before coming here just because the culture was unlike any other place I'd ever seen," Smith said. "Understanding what is being built and the vision that they had for this program and being able to see it come to fruition every day as we continue to buy in as a whole team, and continue to put in the work day in and day out, and build that brotherhood and strive for greatness."
More: Against Indiana State, Purdue football did exactly what it was supposed to do: Dominate
Smith was one of several names unfamiliar to Purdue fans who hadn't been closely monitoring the football program since last season.
7 Purdue football players you didn't know, but now you know
∎ We'll start with Smith. The sophom*ore was one of seven players who scored his first touchdown in a Purdue uniform during Saturday's 49-0 victory over Indiana State. His 31-yard touchdown catch was a thing of beauty. Then he blocked a punt, something special teams coordinator Chris Petrilli apparently predicted Friday night, to set up Purdue's final touchdown.
∎ Kyndrich Breedlove. The cornerback transfer from Colorado noted last week that one major difference between his last season with the Buffaloes and his current one at Purdue is "a lot less cameras." But with the cameras on Saturday, Breedlove showed why he was brought to the Boilermaker defense. He cleaned up a running back in the backfield for a tackle for loss among his three tackles. When Nyland Green (Georgia transfer) returns from injury, those two and Markevious Brown are quite the cornerback trio.
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∎ Den of defensive ends. We're cheating here, but if you're going to carry a label like that, you have to supply a consistent run of top-notch ends. Will Heldt was projected to be special and he was in the season opener. But the three newcomers all performed admirably in their Boilermaker debuts. sh*tta Sillah had a questionable unsportsmanlike penalty for roughing the passer but otherwise was stellar, including 1.5 tackles for loss, showing why Purdue nabbed him from Boston College. CJ Madden (Georgia transfer) had two tackles and a QB pressure, while Jireh Ojata, the possible diamond in the rough from Division III Franklin College, had three tackles with most of his opportunities coming late.
∎ Shamar Rigby. A true freshman starting at receiver in a season opener. That's pretty rare at Purdue. How rare? The last true freshman receiver to start in the season opener for the Boilermakers was Rondale Moore in 2018. Rigby caught just two passes for 18 yards, but he showed throughout camp and now through a game, that he's a trusted member of the receiving corps. De'Nylon Morrissette (Georgia transfer) would've been a good choice here, too.
∎ Staying with the receiver theme, Jahmal Edrine. Technically, Edrine was a Boilermaker last season. He tore his ACL early in camp. Had he not, he may have been Purdue's top receiver. The first two plays Saturday were bubble screens to Edrine, who caught four passes for 59 yards. The one he didn't catch, a deep throw that looked like a touchdown, fell just out of reach, the lone misfire for quarterback Hudson Card.
∎ Reggie Love III. Remember when Purdue moved Tyrone Tracy Jr. from receiver to running back last season? How well did that work out with the two-man show of Devin Mockobee and Tracy. Tracy is playing for the New York Giants, so Mockobee needed a new backfield mate. Love comes to Purdue from Illinois and showed he's a nice combination with Mockobee, scoring a rushing TD and averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Love would've likely added a receiving TD if Card saw him open in the end zone on the lone time Indiana State brought down the Boilermaker quarterback.
∎ Elijah Jackson. A former walk-on track star who, like Edrine, was at Purdue last season but never got on the field. Jackson, though, was in the 160-pound range and not adept to the numerous hits a Big Ten running back takes. Last week, Walters called Jackson "electric" with the ball in his hands. A commitment in the offseason to adding muscle got Jackson on the depth chart as a kick returner. His lone attempt was a 33-yard return. Then he showed off his cutback ability and the jets with a 69-yard touchdown run, the longest TD run by a Boilermaker since Moore in his debut against Northwestern.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Which newcomers stood out for Purdue football in season opener?
