[2024] Purdue Outside Linebacker Room Breakdown

[BabaYaga]

The Purdue starting outside linebackers are two of the very best in the country...however, their depth might be some of the worst in the country. Purdue has a very good starting pair but after them, it does fall off a cliff. Look for Purdue to address this in the off-season whether that is through the portal or in recruiting. 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 nine OLB's on the roster and two of them are blue chip prospects. The two blue chips are a freshman and a senior.

Returning Players
Daniel Piscotty - 4* SR - A
Zach Robinson - 3* (SR) - A-
Malcolm Zimmerman - 2* SR - B-
Parker Francisco - 3* JR - C+
Thairo Bruce - 3* JR - C+
Josh Johnson - 3* (SO) - C+
Juan Grullon - 3* SO - C
David Lewis - 3* SO - C

Incoming Players
Willie Hicks - 4* FR - C

2023 Season Stats
Piscotty - 45 tackles, 18 TFL, 7 sacks, 2 FF
Robinson - 16 tackles, 2 TFL
Johnson - 5 tackles
Grullon - 4 tackles
Zimmerman - 2 tackles

Purdue OLB Room Breakdown

Projected starters: Daniel Piscotty and Zach Robinson - Piscotty and Zimmerman form one of the top outside linebacker duos in the country and they are both seniors looking to make an impact in their last season. Piscotty has his sights set on the draft as he will be a likely draft pick next year. He was very good last year off the edge racking up 18 tackles for loss. Robinson was a bit of a rotational piece but will be a starter this year. He will bookend the other side of the linebacking core and is going to be a key piece to shutting down opposing tight ends.

One to Watch: Parker Francisco - Francisco didn't get any playing time last year but will look to be a main rotational piece this season. He has good upside and should develop well enough to be a solid starter next season. Francisco is a quick linebacker capable of chasing down running backs or wide receivers.

Darkhorse: Thairo Bruce - Bruce is a quick linebacker who this staff thinks might be their best coverage linebacker behind Robinson. He will fill in nicely on passing downs for this team and will look to give good rotational minutes this season.

Redshirt Candidate: Malcolm Zimmerman and Willie Hicks - This position is going to take quite the hit next year in terms of talent. I would look for Zimmerman to be redshirted this year so they have some semblance of talent in the room next year. Hicks will likely redshirt as well just to keep a bit of youth in the room, too. These two might be your starters next season.

Notes on others:
Josh Johnson - Johnson is a solid pass rusher but is very raw still on the coverage side of things. He'll get some spot minutes like he did last season but won't be a backup.
Juan Grullon - Grullon is just a body in this room right now. He's not a great piece but is very serviceable. He could see a bit of run as a deep reserve.
David Lewis - Lewis, like Grullon, just is another guy in the room. He does a nice job of stopping the run but that is pretty much it. Wouldn't be shocked to see him relegated to special teams.

Purdue OLB Room Future Outlook
The OLB room in 2024 is great. The future outlook is poor. Purdue has not done a great job of recruiting outside linebackers but have done a fairly solid job of recruiting inside linebackers. Look for Purdue to hit this position pretty hard this year in recruiting even though there are not many guys who could come in and start right away. This is likely the worst future position as you have your 2024 starters locked up but then in 2025-2028 it could be a rotating door. Purdue might look at moving one of the inside linebackers out to the edge to alleviate the stockpile on the inside. Alternatively, this might be a spot where Purdue tries to find a fit in the portal in the offseason as well if needed.