What Barry Odom Said About Purdue's Ongoing Quarterback Battle
In this story:
When Purdue started fall camp, there was no clarity regarding the battle for the starting quarterback job. All we knew was that Ryan Browne, Evans Chuba, Malachi Singleton, and Bennett Meredith were battling for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.
Fast forward a few weeks, and we still don't know too much about the quarterback battle in West Lafayette. Based on what coach Barry Odom told reporters on Thursday, all four players are still battling for the starting job.
Odom is hoping things begin to clear up over the next few days, but he's in no rush to make an announcement, even with kickoff against Ball State just two weeks away.
"No sir, no," Odom said when asked if there's any clarity on the quarterback situation. "Obviously, every day we have conversations about who did well, the guys that need work on specific areas, what they need to do.
"We'll take the next two days and look at the body of work and (see) if we're ready to make a decision or not ... There's good and bad with each of them. It's our job as coaches to make sure we got the right guy in the right spot at every position, including quarterback, and we will."
Although Browne transferred to North Carolina for the spring, he and Meredith are the two returning quarterbacks from Purdue's 2024 roster. The Boilermakers also brought in Singleton (Arkansas) and Chuba (Washington State) from the transfer portal.
When asked to confirm if all four of those quarterbacks will continue to get reps in Saturday night's scrimmage at Ross-Ade Stadium, Odom sounded enthusiastic.
"Absolutely. Heck yeah," Odom said. "It'll all be on how the guys compare and compete on (Friday) and Saturday night."
With only two weeks until Purdue's season opener against Ball State, some might view it as a negative sign that the team has yet to determine its starting quarterback. That's not how Odom views it, though, at least not at the moment.
He feels confident that any of the four quarterbacks in the race can lead the Boilermakers to wins on Saturdays in the fall.
"We've got a group of guys that are making progress," he said. "We're going to be able to play winning football, whoever that guy is."
Related stories on Purdue football
ODOM TALKS NIGHT SCRIMMAGE: Purdue's next scrimmage in fall camp will be under the lights at Ross-Ade Stadium. Coach Barry Odom explained why the Boilermakers are taking that route. CLICK HERE
ODOM NOT TALKING REBUILD: Purdue football coach Barry Odom said he refused to talk to about a "rebuild" with his players and staff as he enters his first season leading the program. CLICK HERE
MOORE INJURED FOR SEASON: The Minnesota Vikings provided an unfortunate update on Rondale Moore on Tuesday, confirming the former Purdue receiver has suffered a season-ending injury. CLICK HERE
MBOW SHINES IN NY GIANTS DEBUT: Marcus Mbow had a strong performance in the trenches in his first NFL preseason game when the New York Giants played the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. CLICK HERE
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.
Follow SchutteDustin