[2024] Purdue Offensive Guard Room Breakdown

[BabaYaga]

The Purdue offensive guard room might be the worst position group on the offensive side of the ball for Purdue. They don't have a ton of talent and most of the talent are upperclassmen. Aaron Rudd is a bright spot but Purdue will need to figure it out in recruiting this year. Below, we will take a look at who could be in line to start as we head into the spring, the projected starters right now, and a look at the depth that Purdue has in the room. Purdue has seven OG's on the roster and one of them is a blue chip prospect. The sole blue chip is a freshman.

Returning Players
Scott Niklas - 2* SR - B
MJ Nieto - 2* JR - C
Alex Sullivan - 3* (JR) - A-
Humberto Sandoval - 3* (SO) - B-
Gerhard Calvin - 3* (SO) - C+

Incoming Players
Aaron Rudd - 4* FR - B
Jamal Dunn - 1* FR - D

2023 Season Stats
Sullivan - 3 pancakes, 1 sack allowed

Purdue OG Room Breakdown

Projected starters: Alex Sullivan and Scott Niklas - Sullivan and Niklas are the likely starters for the upcoming year. Sullivan was the starter last year and performed well in his time only allowing one sack. Niklas is a balanced guard who can pave some rushing lanes up the middle for his team.

One to Watch: Humberto Sandoval - Sandoval has had some good progression over the last few years. He is a player who could be thrown into the fray for the team. Watch for Sandoval to be a sturdy back-up...at worst.

Darkhorse: Offensive Tackle - Purdue has quite a bit of depth at the OT spot. I wouldn't be shocked if they opted to move one of their young offensive tackles to guard this year and throw him straight into the starting role. There are a few candidates that could move over this year. 

Redshirt Candidate: Aaron Rudd - Look for Rudd to redshirt. He's likely a four year starter at OG but his D overall run blocking weighs him down to play this year. Rudd could sneak into the rotation this year but it's more likely that he redshirts this season.

Notes on others:
MJ Nieto - Nieto is a solid depth piece for this team. He's a high potential guy who has battled injuries throughout the past two years and just hasn't gotten going.
Gerhard Calvin - Calvin is someone that could contend for a backup role in the next two years. He is a very good body to have in practice.
Jamal Dunn  - Dunn thought that he applied to Marian University, but being from Alaska he got confused. Purdue allowed him to try out for the team and kept him because he's funny.

Purdue OG Room Future Outlook
The OG room outlook is bad to average. Not much talent in the room and I didn't do a good job of recruiting the position the last three years. Aaron Rudd will be a four year starter at OG but after that, it's a patchwork operation. Not the worst situation, as I will likely opt to move one of the OT's over to offensive guard this year. Sullivan should be an A overall next year so I'll have a decent OG combo of Sullivan and a redshirted Rudd...but after that some talent is needed. The 2026 2nd OG spot is up for debate currently and is the only position on offense without a projected starter two years from now.