[2024] Purdue Defensive End Room Breakdown

[BabaYaga]

Arguably, one of the brightest spots on the roster for Purdue. They have a ton of depth and are poised to start dual freshmen this year at each end position. There is good depth behind them on the depth chart and we might even see some players move positions. 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 11 DE's on the roster and three of them are blue chip prospects. All three blue chips are underclassmen.

Returning Players
Marquis Liz - 3* SR - B+
Ryan Robinson - 2* SR - B-
DeMarcus Hendricks - 3* JR - B-
Joey Nwaba - 4* (SO) - B-
Mathew Tanigawa - 3* SO - C
Kevin Head - 3* SO - C
Hector Galvan - 5* (FR) - B
Bryce Speer - 5 (FR) - B

Incoming Players
Aaron Thompson - 3* FR - C
James Morrison - 3* FR - C
Gregory Boyd - 1* FR - D

2023 Season Stats
Liz - 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT
Robinson - 3 tackles
 

Purdue DE Room Breakdown

Projected starters: Hector Galvan and Bryce Speer - Galvan and Speer were the coup of the recruiting class two cycles ago and after dual red shirt seasons...it is now their time to shine. Both likely will not come in and dominate right away, but in Galvan's lone spring ball look last year, he had five TFL and four sacks. They might take a year or two to get up to the speed of the game but in a few years they will be projected first round picks on the line for Purdue. Galvan and Purdue have talked about a swap to OLB this year as a pass rusher.

One to Watch: Marquis Liz - Liz had a very good season last year and could still contend for a starting spot. He had a few sacks and was able to set the edge with 31 tackles. Liz, at the very least, will be a good rotational player for this team as a very balanced player.

Darkhorse: Joey Nwaba - Nwaba is a former four star player and if Galvan and Speer had not walked through the door, he would be a stalwart at one of the defensive end positions. Instead, he'll be depth for this position over the next few years but will be counted on to spell both sides of the line when needed. 

Position Change Candidate: Aaron Thompson - Thompson would be a redshirt candidate in most years, but this year Purdue will likely not look to redshirt anyone. Instead, they might opt to move Thompson over to DT for depth at that spot on the line. He could fit in nicely as a nose tackle in two years as Purdue needs 1 or 2 more bodies at that spot.

Notes on others:
Ryan Robinson - Robinson was able to get some depth run last year but will look to be deep depth this season. He is likely the 6th best DE on the team as a B-.
Mathew Tanigawa - Due to some injuries, Tanigawa was able to get on the field last season. Look for him to find spot minutes again this year as well for his team.
Kevin Head - Head is a deep reserve. I wouldn't look for him to impact the game this year on the field.
James Morrison - Morrison is an intriguing freshman who might find the field in spurts. Young and hungry defensive end.
Gregory Boyd - Who?

Purdue DE Room Future Outlook
The DE room outlook for Purdue is great. They'll of course need to find some other guys to bring in for depth over the next few years but they have their two ends set up for the foreseeable future. They also have good depth for at least the next three years. As long as Purdue doesn't completely forget about this position the next two years then they will be set up very well for the future even if they end up moving a guy over to defensive tackle.