Assistant Coach Joe Dineen Leads Outside Linebacker Group for Purdue Football

Purdue football has several players adjusting to a new role ahead of the 2023 season, and outside linebackers coach Joe Dineen has already identified some that will help that position.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With head coach Ryan Walters at the helm for Purdue football, he brings a new-look defensive scheme that players will become accustomed to throughout the offseason. 

A focal point of the defense is the team's five-man front, which includes a pair of outside linebackers occupying the edge. Leading the unit in 2023 is outside linebackers coach Joe Dineen. 

On one side, the Boilermakers will have the "Fox" which will play to the field. The "Buck" is on the opposite side, playing the boundary. 

"Their responsibility in the run game is to knock everything back," Dineen said. "They got to keep everything bottled up, and then in the pass game, we're going to get after the quarterback."

Last season, Dineen worked with the Illinois outside linebackers alongside Kevin Kane, who is now the defensive coordinator for Purdue. Dineen joined the Fighting Illini after serving as a defensive graduate assistant under Kane at SMU. 

During his college years, Dineen was an All-American linebacker at Kansas from 2014–2018 and led the NCAA in solo tackles per game twice. He had a brief stint in the NFL with the Denver Broncos before starting his coaching career. 

Purdue's new coaching staff is taking over a roster that was largely constructed by the program's previous regime under Jeff Brohm. In a short period of evaluation, Dineen is pinpointing those that fit the mold at outside linebacker in Walters' system. 

"The big thing we look for is guys that got a pass rush," Dineen said. "That's the most important thing, and we want them to be athletic enough to be able to move in space a little bit." 

Dineen said Khordae Sydnor, Joe Strickland, Scotty Humpich, Nic Carway, Will Heldt, Roman Pitre and Kydran Jenkins are among the players that are working at the outside linebacker position. 

For some of them, the transition won't be as difficult to master. Purdue utilized a "Leo" — a hybrid between a defensive end and outside linebacker — where Jenkins was featured for most of the season. 

Jenkins led the team with eight tackles for loss, which included four sacks. He also tallied 38 total tackles in 14 games. Humpich, a transfer from Murray State, registered 16 total tackles and a sack in his first season in the Big Ten. 

"Just having guys that are comfortable doing that already, it's really helpful," Dineen said. "And to the guys that maybe had their hand down, it's going to be easy to learn, they're good athletes. It's just getting comfortable standing up and getting your eyes right. Because as you stand up, your vision gets bigger. So you got to hone your eyes and really get your keys right."

While Jenkins and Humpich are veterans of college football, the Boilermakers have rising talent that will look to play a larger role during the 2023 campaign. As a freshman, Caraway logged 22 tackles and two sacks after joining the team as a consensus three-star prospect. 

Caraway was a rotational player at the "Leo" position, whereas Sydnor — a redshirt freshman last year — played defensive end. Sydnor was second on the team with 4.5 sacks in 2022 but will have to adjust to new responsibilities. 

"They're gonna kill it, man," Dineen said of Caraway and Sydnor, "Just working with them the little bit that I've gotten to work with them, they're going to do a really good job in this system. And it's because of their work ethic and their willingness to learn.

"Those two have been a pleasure to work with already and honestly, the whole linebacker room has just been awesome to work with. I'm fired up to be here. I'm fired up to work with all these guys and hopefully, we can get some stuff done on Saturdays."

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