New Purdue QB Bennett Meredith: ‘I told them I’m not coming with the mind-set of being the backup’

Bennett Meredith took a phone call from Purdue tight ends coach Seth Doege last Tuesday. By Sunday, Meredith was committed to be a Boilermaker.

It happened that fast.

“It’s like all four years of high school recruiting jammed into two weeks,” said Meredith. “So, it was pretty crazy. We’ve been all over the country the past two and a half weeks.”

Purdue wasn’t the first school Bennett committed to after entering the portal on April 17 following spring football at Arizona State. He pledged to Charlotte on April 29. But calls kept coming.

Meredith had interest from Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Western Kentucky and North Carolina before ultimately picking Purdue where he is slated to be the No. 2 signal-caller behind Hudson Card, a transfer from Texas. What made Meredith tab the Boilermakers?

“Honestly, just the people,” he said. “Every single person on that staff from top to bottom was incredible. And you can tell how authentic they were. We knew from the first phone call that these people were just honest and they were upfront and very transparent with us from Day One, and we really appreciated that.”

The 6-3, 190-pound redshirt freshman got to Purdue last Friday with his mother and father for a visit. He’ll be back later this month with four years of eligibility.

“Definitely, someone who’s always one step ahead of everyone else on the field,” said Meredith when asked to describe his style. “I always know where to go with the football, and when things break down, I create really well. I’m an extremely competitive person. I’m a winner. You all are just getting a complete quarterback.”

MORE: Arizona State QB Bennett Meredith headed to Purdue

Why did Meredith leave Tempe?

“It was a very good parting, which you don’t hear a lot about in this transfer portal era,” said Meredith, a three-star prospect out of Hoover (Ala.) High in the Class of 2022. “I had a really good spring ball. And after our exit meeting, my coaches and I, we had a great conversation. We felt the same exact way. We both believed that I could be playing Power Five football this year and be on the field this year and getting a lot of reps.

“To achieve what I want to achieve at this position and as a person, it wasn’t going to be there due to the lack of opportunity that I was going to get. The room was so deep. And so we just decided that it was best for me and my development to kind of go a different path.”

MORE: Transfer portal tracker

Part of Purdue’s appeal for Meredith was an Air Raid-based offense that has been installed by coordinator Graham Harrell and Ryan Walters, who saw No. 2 signal-caller Brady Allen transfer after spring ball.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I think they let the quarterback be who he is. And that was another big thing for me. The quarterback position is a really special position. No one plays it the same exact way. I just really love the fact that they give the quarterback a lot of freedom to be himself and really just to go out there and do his thing. And that was really exciting throughout this process.”

While Card is the clear No. 1 man, Meredith isn’t coming to West Lafayette with a backup mentality.

“I told them I’m not coming with the mind-set of being the backup,” said Meredith. “I’m going to be walking in the building every day just like I’m the starting quarterback. I told them that’s what to expect from me. I’m gonna prepare like that and I’m gonna go compete. I’m gonna push Hudson. Because, ultimately, you want to bring the best out of everyone in that room and I think I can push him and bring the best out of him, as well.”

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