At 6-6, Will Heldt looms large for Purdue defense looking to improve
It’s difficult not to notice Will Heldt on the edge of the Purdue defense. He’s 6-6, 250 pounds of locked-and-loaded fury, a looming presence for a Boilermaker defense looking for playmakers. The time is now for the sophomore from Carmel (Ind.) High.
“Will Heldt is a guy we expect from Year One to Year Two to take big steps,” said Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane.
A defense that bled a Big Ten-high 30.4 points per game needs to step up. And Heldt needs to help lead the charge at a rush end spot in search of differences makers. Nic Scouton is gone, having transferred to Texas A&M. And Kydran Jenkins has been moved from rush end to inside linebacker. Scouton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks in 2023, while Jenkins was third with 7.5. And the duo combined for 30.5 TFLs last year.
“Those are big shoes to fill, great players, but we’re gonna step up,” said Heldt.
Heldt got his feet last season as a true freshman, playing as a reserve in all 12 games, making 12 stops with one TFL. He showed flashes, glimpses of what could be.
“That was huge for me, just getting reps, sitting behind really good players at outside ‘backer and just learning from them,” said Heldt, one of five players from Carmel on the Boilermaker roster (Cole Brevard, Winston Berglund, Ethan Trent, Jireh Ojata).
Now, Heldt stands poised to be Purdue’s top pass rusher at a rush end slot that has been bolstered by three portal additions: Shitta Sillah of Boston College, C.J. Madden of Georgia and Ojata of Franklin College. Purdue is shopping for more help at the position in the portal prior to the start of the 2024 season.
“Will has kind of taken over as the leader,” said rush ends coach Joe Dineen. “He’s young, but he knows it. He’s really smart. He’s the type of kid that you can just say, ‘Hey, we got to do this,’ and then it’s done.
“You don’t have to worry about Will making a bunch of busts and MEs (mental errors). I think that where he’s made the biggest jump this year is he’s become more of a playmaker. He’s learned where he can kind of take more risks, where he can try to be more impactful on the field and I think he’s primed to really have a breakout season this year.”
Heldt flashed that playmaking ability in the spring game, when he picked off a pass and jetted to paydirt.
“If (the secondary) can cover, we can get sacks,” said Heldt. “And if we can get pressure, the ball is gonna come out, we’re gonna get picks.
“We’ve been taking big strides, especially for the new guys coming in and just continuing to learn this scheme and get a feel for what the offense is doing just playing based off them.”
Purdue Den of Defensive Ends
Could Will Heldt become a member of this fraternity before he leaves West Lafayette?
Since 1999, 11 Boilermaker defensive ends have been selected in the National Football League Draft, including first-round picks Anthony Spencer in 2007, Ryan Kerrigan in 2011 and George Karlaftis in 2022.
Eight members of The Den have gone on to be selected for the NFL Pro Bowl – Sugar, Lundy, Keena Turner, Colvin, Shaun Phillips, Spencer, Kerrigan and Cliff Avril – while five have played for Super Bowl champions: Turner, Colvin, Avril, Ninkovich and Karlaftis.
Leo SugarLamar LundyKeena TurnerChike OkeaforRosevelt ColvinAkin AyodeleShaun PhillipsRay EdwardsAnthony SpencerRob NinkovichCliff AvrilRyan KerriganGeorge Karlaftis
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