WEST LAFAYETTE − Hudson Card is in the envious position of every other quarterback on the Purdue football roster the past two seasons.
Card is the unquestioned starter and offensive leader.
Behind Card is a gaggle champing at the bit to be listed as No. 2 on the depth chart.
“Hudson is the starter and guys are rallying around him,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said. “Obviously his talent speaks for itself. But the reps behind him are getting spread around to see who we can count on to go win us a game if need be.”
Let’s take a deep dive at Purdue’s quarterback room.
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Purdue’s quarterbacks
Who is back: Hudson Card, senior (215-365, 58.9%, 2,387 yards, 15 TD, 8 INT, 93 car., 203 yards, 5 TD); Ryan Browne, redshirt freshman (12-16, 104 yards, 2 INT, 21 car., 85 yards); Bennett Meredith, sophomore (7-11, 43 yards); Christian Gelov, senior; Jake Wilson, redshirt freshman
New faces: Marcos Davila, freshman; Carson Kitchel, freshman
Hudson Card’s improvement
Card played last season despite injuries until it became apparent late in the year that he was a detriment if he took the field at Northwestern.
A concerted effort was made by Card in the offseason to put on more muscle without losing mobility.
More importantly, by all accounts, Card has not only come back stronger, he’s now improved as a decision maker and a leader and now has a year of experience as a full-time starter after transferring from Texas following the 2022 season.
Card admittedly made strides late in the season, as the entire offense seemed to, and showed that with perhaps his best performance in the final game against Indiana. Let’s not forget that before Card was injured against Illinois, he engineered a game-winning drive at Virginia Tech that he capped by running in for the winning score.
Expect Card’s numbers to increase in 2024 if he stays healthy.
Who is Purdue’s backup quarterback?
And if Card doesn’t stay healthy?
Well, we saw last year that Purdue never really had a solid answer for that. Card was unable to play at Northwestern so the Boilermakers took a two-QB approach. Meredith and Browne alternated possessions that game, though Browne emerged as the quarterback Purdue relied on late at Evanston.
“I learned a ton from that game and had a chip on my shoulder since it happened,” Browne said. “But I learned a ton. I learned I can play at this speed. I felt pretty comfortable out there.”
The QB on the roster with the highest ceiling, taking Card out of consideration, is Davila. The Midland, Texas, product has put himself in position to compete for the backup role. Right now, Browne and Davila are splitting reps for that spot.
Davila has shown ability to make big time plays, but offensive coordinator Graham Harrell noted on Thursday there’s both highs and lows, which is expected with a true freshman.
Quarterback projection
Card starts. No real debate there.
Hopefully, for Purdue’s sake, the backup quarterback is for depth chart purposes only. Browne can move the offense with his feet, while Davila appears the better passer. Protecting Davila’s ability to redshirt possibly gives the No. 2 spot to Browne with Meredith, who transferred from Arizona State prior to last season, available if need be.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Battle for No. 2 quarterback behind Hudson Card at Purdue camp
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