Transfer Wide Receiver Tyrone Tracy Brings Versatility, Explosiveness to Purdue Offense
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the past three seasons, Tyrone Tracy was on the opposing sideline as Purdue wide receiver David Bell torched the Iowa secondary. Now, the Hawkeye transfer receiver is getting a first-hand look at what made the Boilermakers so successful on offense.
Tracy, an Indianapolis native, announced he was transferring to the Purdue football program on Dec. 15, 2021, after four seasons in Iowa City. He was the 2017-18 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year at Decatur Central High School, and now is working to master the Boilermakers' playbook during spring practices ahead of the 2022 season.
But with Bell making the decision to move on and pursue his dream of playing in the NFL, Tracy knows there will be plenty of chances to make plays in the team's perennial pass-heavy offense under head coach Jeff Brohm.
"There's a lot of opportunity here," Tracy said. "I think that just with the type of offense Coach Brohm runs, there's a lot of opportunity for receivers to make a name for themselves."
Tracy steps foot in West Lafayette with 66 career receptions, 871 receiving yards and five touchdown catches in 31 games. Despite being listed as a wide receiver over the duration of his college career, Tracy said he has a natural ability to play running back, which stems from his little league days at the position.
He was seldom used out of the backfield at Iowa, recording just 16 rushing attempts for 93 yards and two touchdowns. But the Boilermakers have struggled to run the football in recent years, ranking at the bottom of the Big Ten in rushing yards in each of the last three seasons.
Last year, redshirt fifth-year senior Jackson Anthrop saw action at running back, carrying the ball 23 times for 83 yards. Now that his college career has come to an end, Tracy is a player that can very easily slide into a similar role.
"I think my skill set is just very versatile, I can play a lot of positions," Tracy said. "And then my football IQ is pretty high. I try to take that upon myself to know the playbook and understand it at a high level and play at a high level. So when a coach asks me to run a certain route or play a certain position, I'm able to do that to the best of my ability."
The transition back home has been a seamless one so far for Tracy, who said he has been welcomed with open arms. Starting quarterback Aidan O'Connell made it a point to send a text message to the former Big Ten foe when he arrived in West Lafayette.
In the weeks encompassing the team's spring practices, Purdue has often gone through drills without the veteran presence of Broc Thompson, Milton Wright, Mershawn Rice and TJ Sheffield, who have all been sidelined for various circumstances.
But its opened the gates for younger players, and new faces like Tracy, to step in and seize valuable repetitions to continue evolving their understanding of the offense's schemes.
As Tracy has bounced between drills at both the wide receiver and running back positions, his speed and quickness have been on full display.
"He brought a lot of explosiveness," Purdue sophomore receiver Deion Burks said of Tracy. "He can play in many positions, and I feel like he's a great leader, too. He plays the runningback spot, he can play receiver as well. He brings a nice energy and brings the whole team up."
Tracy wouldn't go as far as to say he is going to step in and be one of the definitive leaders in the wide receiver room, simply due to the fact that Thompson and Wright have already established themselves as respected players at their position.
But Tracy is quickly learning his place on the team, leading by example and allowing his teammates to feed off his energy in practice.
"Even though he may not have played a lot of football, his personality and his demeanor is more of a mature, settling demeanor," Purdue wide receivers coach Garrick McGee said. " He has a voice that they're all listening to. There are multiple leaders in the room, but he has stepped in without even playing. And you can tell he's gonna fill a leadership role for us."
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