Pro Football Focus Ranks Purdue Quarterbacks Jack Plummer, Aidan O'Connell

Purdue quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell and Jack Plummer each played three games for the Boilermakers in 2020. Pro Football Focus ranked them 60th in the country out of all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision starting quarterbacks.

Author:
D.J. Fezler
Publish date:
Jul 13, 2021 12:01 PM EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 2021 college football season is inching closer, but starting rosters are all but finalized, even for a majority of the country's top programs.

Pro Football Focus used its advanced college database, coupled with scheme and film review, to rank all the starting quarterbacks for the 130 programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Boilermakers' starting quarterback situation is anything but clear-cut, but the team still ranked among the middle of the pack in the Big Ten and the nation.

Both fifth-year senior Aiden O'Connell and junior Jack Plummer played three games for the Boilermakers in 2020, and the two signal-callers put up nearly identical statistics. According to PFF, the duo ranks 60th in the country, which is good for sixth in the Big Ten.

Their ranking falls under what PFF calls the average quarterback.

"These college quarterbacks rank right in the middle of their peers. Some of them have hardly shown an ability to produce at a quality level and are consistently average. And then there are others who have flashed stellar play but then negated it with poor performances. The signal-callers in this tier need elite supporting casts on both sides of the ball if their teams are to have big years."

O'Connell, who started the first three games of the season before missing the rest of the year due to injury, completed 88 of his 136 passes for 916 yards and seven touchdowns. His two interceptions last year came in a victory against Iowa on Oct. 24.

After O'Connell was knocked out of the starting lineup, Plummer stepped in for the final three games of the season. He completed 88 of his 124 passes for 936 yards and eight touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.

Despite the similarities in their performances, both of Purdue's wins last season came with O'Connell under center. The Boilermaker finished the year with an underwhelming 2-4 record.

Here's where every starting quarterback in the Big Ten Conference landed, according to PFF:

No. 5: Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
No. 20: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
No. 26: Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
No. 36: Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
No. 37: Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
No. 60: Jack Plummer / Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
No. 62: Payton Thorne / Anthony Russo, Michigan State
No. 70: Cade McNamara / Alan Bowman, Michigan
No. 75: Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
No. 88: Sean Clifford, Penn State
No. 94: Noah Vedral, Rutgers
No. 96: Brandon Peters, Illinois
No. 112: Spencer Petras, Iowa
No. 116: Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern

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