The 3-2-1: Former Purdue assistant played role in Tyrone Tracy’s selection by Giants
MORE: Purdue transfer portal tracker | Purdue 2024 roster
Three things learned. Two questions. One prediction. It’s time for the 3-2-1, a look at Purdue football.
Three things learned
1 – Tracy headed to Big Apple
To be more exact: East Rutherford, N.J. Most felt RB Tyrone Tracy would be tabbed in the fifth-round or later. And, he was, going to the Giants in Round Five on Saturday.
Tracy seemingly is a good fit for the Giants and should have an impact on offense and special teams immediately. Plus, he is selfless, a good teammate and likeable person.
Tracy will be coached by the man who mentored Purdue running backs coach Lamar Conard when he was a Boilermaker: Joel Thomas, Purdue’s running backs coach from 2006-08 who also was a GA in West Lafayette from 2000-01. Thomas gave Conard the blueprint on coaching running backs.
Thomas, hired by the Giants in the offseason after working as RB coach of the Saints (2015-23), worked with the running backs this winter at the NFL Combine, where Tracy turned a lot of heads by running a 4.4 40-yard dash.
Tracy is thought to have a lot of the traits of Alvin Kamara, a running back Thomas coached in New Orleans.
2 – Sanoussi-Ravens marriage looks ideal
The Sanoussi Kane-Baltimore Ravens union appears to be a perfect match.
The Ravens are a tough, gritty franchise known for playing strong defense. That blue-collar mind-set/style meshes well with Baltimore, a working class city that carries lunch pails.
That’s Kane.
A seventh-round pick, Kane is a rugged, take-no-prisoners player who also is versatile. And Kane is a natural-born leader who has an infectious personality. People gravitate to Kane, the first Boiler ever drafted by the Ravens.
Here’s how Jeff Brohm described Kane when he was Boilermaker coach: “He’s a warrior. He loves football. He can hit. He can tackle. He plays hard. He’s one of our fiercest competitors.”
The selection of Kane meant that for the fifth year in a row, at least two Boilermakers were taken in the NFL Draft. The last time the program had a five-year streak of multiple players being drafted was 1998-2002.
3 – Special teams coming together
Last week saw Purdue add long-snapper Nick Levy from William & Mary. The week before, the Boilermakers added punter Keelan Crimmins from Mississippi State. Both will be on scholarship.
The staff still needs to add two more long-snappers, with one likely coming from the portal or JC ranks and the other from a specialist camp on June 1 at Purdue.
The only other punter on the roster is walk-on Bennett Boehnelin. Another walk-on could be added. Or, Purdue could ride with Crimmins and Boehnelin and have incoming freshman K Spencer Portah serve as the No. 3 punter.
Purdue is set at kicker with Porath, Ben Freehill and UCLA transfer RJ Lopez, with Porath being the lone scholarship kicker.
Two questions
1 – Any surprise portal entries?
No. It was not a shock to see any of the four Purdue players enter the portal during this 15-day widow in April, which closes at midnight on Tuesday: ILB Clyde Washington, DB Ethon Cole, rush end DJ Allen and RB Christian Womack. (Purdue also had walk-on DB Jaxon Mull enter.)
Of the four scholarship entries, Washington was the most veteran. He played in 27 games at Purdue, making 42 tackles with an interception in four seasons. Washington started three games in 2023. Still, Purdue is fortified at ILB with Kydran Jenkins, Yanni Karalftis, Owen Davis and Winston Berglund.
None of the other departures played a snap at Purdue.
2 – What are staffers doing on the recruiting front this week?
Boilermaker assistants are expected to be at combines in the Indianapolis area this week.
Purdue currently has five 2025 commitments, with one from Indiana: rangy rush end Landon Brooks of Delta High in Muncie.
A look at what’s on tap this week:
One bold prediction: KJ will stay in WL
Rumors began to bubble up on message boards last week that Kyrdran Jenkins was poised to enter the portal like former rush end Nic Scourton, who transferred to Texas A&M in the offseason. Jenkins is set to be a main cog in the Boilermakers defense after moving from rush end to inside linebacker.
But, it’s thought Purdue staffers feel secure about Jenkins remaining a Boilermaker. In the end, no one knows for sure what any player will do until the portal door closes on this window at midnight tonight.
Still, it appears Jenkins will remain grounded in West Lafayette in 2024.
The post The 3-2-1: Former Purdue assistant played role in Tyrone Tracy’s selection by Giants appeared first on On3.
