Barry Odom is a defensive-minded coach and there are several Purdue players who stood out on that side of the ball.

The Boilermakers named Ryan Browne starting quarterback Thursday, but two stood out as potential backups.

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football defensive coordinator Mike Scherer knows he's about to spin a cliche, but he can back it up with receipts.

Asked what sort of athlete he looked for at nickel, Scherer predicted eyes would roll before he said "you gotta go play hard." Yet he also said the Boilermakers staff has metrics and measurements in place to determine who is playing the hardest in practice.

After two weeks of camp, three names stood at the top — locked-in starting linebacker Mani Powell and defensive backs An'Darius Coffey and Stu Smith . Memphis trans

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