Injury Update Provided on Purdue Tight End George Burhenn
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Purdue made it through the spring practice schedule mostly healthy, but it did suffer one significant injury. Redshirt sophomore tight end George Burhenn recently went down with a leg injury after attempting to catch a pass during a scrimmage, an injury that forced him to miss the remainder of spring ball.
On Saturday, following Purdue's spring showcase, coach Barry Odom was asked for an update on Burhenn. He provided a positive response.
"He had surgery on Wednesday — really successful surgery," Odom said. "We expect him to be back, full ready to go (by) game one, which is great."
Burhenn is coming off a 2024 campaign in which injuries kept him sidelined for a majority of the season. He appeared in just four games for the Boilermakers, catching one pass for three years.
In 2023, Burhenn made a huge impression in the final game of his freshman season. In the season finale against Indiana, the tight end caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
With former Purdue tight end Max Klare transferring to Ohio State, Burhenn was expected to see a much bigger role in the Boilermakers' offense. It sounds like that could still be the case if he'll be ready to go by the season opener.
Purdue opens the 2025 campaign — and the Odom era — on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Ball State at Ross-Ade Stadium.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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