Purdue defensive position unit rankings

It’s a new era in West Lafayette, and Purdue head coach Ryan Walters brings his unique defensive scheme with him to install ahead of the 2023 season. While defensive coordinator Kevin Kane will call the defense, it’s still the same defense that made Walters one of the hottest coordinators in the country last season.

The defense will look significantly different from what Purdue ran in 2022, both in terms of scheme and personnel. Cory Trice and Jalen Graham each became NFL draft picks in April, and three defensive line starters departed via the transfer portal. While Ryan Walters doesn’t like to disclose many details on his signature defense, he’ll run it with a largely new group of Boilermakers this fall.

How do the position groups on defense stack up entering the 2023 season? GoldandBlack.com ranks them.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

Kydran Jenkins returns with two years of starting experience, totaling nine sacks on his career. Many forget, but Jenkins tied George Karlaftis for the team lead in sacks in 2021. He’s far from the only returning player bringing excitement to the table, though.

Nic Scourton (formerly Caraway) showed flashes of star potential as a true freshman after a substantial rise in ranking during his senior season of high school. Spring practices did nothing to lessen the hype around the big sophomore from Texas, who received a third-place vote for preseason defensive player of the year in the Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll.

Similarly, Khordae Sydnor flashed in limited action in 2022 as a redshirt freshman. He recorded four-and-a-half sacks, highlighted by a pair in a big road win at Maryland. College Football News named him an honorable mention Freshman All-American, and he projects to step into a much bigger role in his third season of college football.

Despite optimism following his transfer from Murray State, Scotty Humpich was largely quiet a season ago. He elected to return for his sixth year of eligibility, and it’s now or never for the Louisville native. Though true freshman Will Heldt may or may not be ready to contribute as a true freshman, early returns indicate that he’s primed for a successful career in the old gold and black.

SAFETIES

Cam Allen and Sanoussi Kane started 11 of the final 12 games of the season together at safety in 2022, and both men return to anchor the back end this season. Allen, a three-year starter, has shown a knack for clutch interceptions but also a tendency for poorly-timed missed tackles over his time in action. He’ll hope for a solid, well-rounded final act this season. Kane, meanwhile, led Purdue with 72 tackles a season ago. His tackles pack a punch, too, as he forced a pair of fumbles.

Those two form a clear, proven tandem on the back end, but they’ll face competition in fall practice. After a long recovery following a freak injury in 2020, Antonio Stevens is finally 100% ready for the upcoming season. He could factor in at safety, as could Arkansas transfer Anthony Brown. While he could face an uphill battle to playing time, true freshman Dillon Thieneman will factor into the mix sooner rather than later.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Walters’ defensive scheme features three down defensive linemen, so we’ll group this unit together. Purdue saw the departures of Jack Sullivan (USC), Branson Deen (Miami) and Lawrence Johnson (Auburn) following the Citrus Bowl, a tough pill to swallow for a defensive line with little returning experience.

Purdue immediately went to the portal to add experience to this unit, bringing in SEC transfers Jeffrey M’ba (Auburn), Isaiah Nichols (Arkansas) and Malik Langham (Vanderbilt). Nichols and Langham each bring loads of experience to the group and should see plenty of reps, but M’ba is the one with the highest ceiling. Expect him to start and potentially emerge as Purdue’s top defensive lineman.

Cole Brevard showed some nice flashes after transferring in from Penn State and could find his way to a starting spot, while Mo Omonode will hope to build on his solid showing as a true freshman. Damarjhe Lewis returns following a season-ending injury in fall camp last August. He put together a nice season in 2021 and could make a difference early on this year if fully healthy.

Sulaiman Kpaka’s role has expanded each year in West Lafayette, and the fifth-year senior should put together his best year yet. Redshirt freshmen Joe Strickland and JP Deeter will look to crack the rotation after spending 2022 watching and learning.

Purdue’s defensive line is deep, but it lacks proven difference-makers at this point in the season.

CORNERBACKS

While Trice departed to the NFL Draft, Purdue also needs to replace Reese Taylor and Bryce Hampton, who exhausted their eligibility last season. Jamari Brown reported to camp as the only returner with real in-game experience, which likely gives him the inside track to start at one of the corner spots.

Walters went heavy after corners in the transfer portal, adding several who will be asked to play at a high level this season. Marquis Wilson enters from Penn State, where he struggled to carve out a consistent role in one of the nation’s top secondaries. He earned a four-star billing as a prep prospect for a reason, and Purdue hopes that ability can show in a new uniform.

Similarly, Salim Turner-Muhammad earned four-star praise out of high school but never found his way into a starting role at Stanford. He, also, hopes that a change of scenery can bring out the best in his fifth year of eligibility.

A pair of Ole Miss Rebels found their way to West Lafayette. Markevious Brown played in all 13 games as a sophomore, making 19 tackles, and now will play a role in Purdue’s defensive backfield this season. Braxton Myers joined Brown in departing Oxford to head north, but he enters with four years of eligibility remaining after not seeing the field as a Rebel. The former four-star offers lots of potential, but is he ready?

Botros Alisandro became a late addition to the roster, committing from the JuCo ranks after spring practice. Could he earn a spot in the rotation? It’s a very green group, but there’s enough potential in this group to provide lots of interest in camp battles.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

OC Brothers owns the title of the lone returning starter at inside linebacker following Jacob Wahlberg’s post-spring transfer to Wake Forest. Brothers, entering his third year as a Boilermaker following a transfer from Auburn, offers nice athleticism for a linebacker, but he needs to clean up the missed tackles that plagued him at times last season. He projects to slot in as a starter in Walters’ defense which looks for sideline-to-sideline linebackers.

After Brothers, Clyde Washington stands as the only returning inside linebacker with noteworthy experience. He’s played a reserve role for the last two seasons, but this season presents his most straightforward path to playing time. The wild card? Yanni Karlaftis spent his spring practice training at linebacker after numerous position changes over his time on campus. His commitment brought much fanfare as the younger brother of former Purdue star George, but he’s yet to live up to his prep accolades.

This group was thin before Wahlberg’s transfer. Without him in the fold, it can’t afford any injuries.

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