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44 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f sions. Maybe not so much later. The Boilermakers are dangerously light on proven depth at several important positions. And even the ones that seem set — running back and receiver have depth and significant experience — apparently aren't. "There are no comfortable positions," Hazell said. "Everyone must improve immensely." Hazell wants his players to move forward — that's what the shirts said, on the back, during 6 a.m. work- outs in mid-February — and "do everything with confidence" this spring. Building that confidence could be an issue, con- sidering the lack of experience that is pervasive on the roster. Jim Bridge's challenge will continue, having only 10 offensive linemen this spring, most of whom he desperately needs to grasp his concepts and make strides. Purdue needs to fill two starting spots in the fall — both tackles. The options now are four players who haven't played significantly in a game: Redshirt sophomores J.J. Prince and Joey Warburg, redshirt freshman Jason Tretter and Jack DeBoef, who didn't crack the two-deep in his first three seasons. There's no proven depth at defensive end, either, in the 3-4 scheme. Jake Replogle and Evan Panfil are penciled in as starters after having their shirts pulled to play as true freshmen last season, but there's a slew of redshirt freshmen behind them, and the old- est guy, transfer Langston Newton, spent the last two seasons at Kentucky but didn't play a snap. Tight end was supposed to be a position of strength, but Gabe Holmes' academic issues will keep him from practicing this spring, leaving a hole alongside Justin Sinz, the team's most reliable player. Will Dol- apo Macarthy's move to that "Y" spot give the Boil- ermakers a mismatch? Or will this be the time that athletic but enigmatic Carlos Carvajal finally gets it? And how will the linebackers respond knowing perhaps the highest-profile recruits — Gelen Robin- son and Ja'Whaun Bentley — are coming in the fall? Seniors Sean Robinson and Joe Gilliam, who have built up starts over the last two seasons, will have to have stellar springs and build the trust of the coach- ing staff. Nothing seems secure, really. And that competition needs to bring out the best in the current Boilermakers. Or they may be sitting on the sidelines come the fall. j