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42 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f their most-likely candidate to be a consistent pass-rusher. And that's needed, after the Boilermakers' defensive line totaled only nine of Purdue's 14 sacks last season. Russell thinks he can be that kind of player, although he's never had more than the four sacks he totaled as a sophomore in 2012. "I feel like Ryan Russell will be that guy," Howard said. "He's working hard." But it won't only fall to Russell. Howard could be a break- out player, with a mix of uncanny power for an underclass- man and explosive athleticism. Although he wasn't con- ditioned well last season — he hadn't participated much in training camp due to numerous nagging injuries — he got opportunities late in the year. He made the most of them, showing he could disrupt the interior of a line, as he illustrated on a play against Iowa when he shredded the Hawkeyes' line on his way to a sack. "Some guys can get in a stance and come out of it and make bad things happen to other people," Hudson said, "and he can do that." Howard is joined in Purdue's projected starting front by Replogle, a fellow sophomore who also started playing at the tail end of last season. But having grown to 280 or so pounds, the second-year Boilermaker has moved inside to the 3 technique, playing between the guard and the tackle, as part of the three-man front. Hudson calls Howard and Replogle a couple of "cinder blocks," who should be able to hold up well against the run. A third sophomore, Evan Panfil, who also played in the sec- ond half of last season, is slated to backup Russell at end. "Jake, EP and me, we call ourselves the fab three," said Howard. "We're brothers. We're young guys. As freshmen Tom Campbell Frankie Williams will have some tough assignments this season, now being Purdue's No. 1 corner, but he says he's up to the task. LINEBACKERS COACH MARCUS FREEMAN M arcus Freeman's energy is infectious. The young linebackers coach — he is 28 — engag- es his players every day in practice, strongly instruct- ing them on what he wants to see and how he wants to see it. He'll encourage, but deliver a negative critique, too. But, whichever comes, the Boilermakers seem to ap- preciate the honest assessment. "He's awesome. I couldn't ask for more from a coach," senior Sean Robinson said. "I couldn't ask for a more honest, loyal coach. I've been around a lot of dif- ferent coaches, from high school to here and through the recruiting process, in my opinion what you look for in a coach is someone who can make your players want to play for them. And I think he does a really good job at that, however he does it. Yeah, he's nuts and yeah, you'll hear him on the practice field yelling at us, but it's because he cares." Before Purdue, Freeman, who played at Ohio State from 2004-08, was part of Darrell Hazell's staff at Kent State, helping two Flashes starters earn All-MAC hon- ors in back-to-back seasons. In 2010, he was a graduate assistant at his alma mater, helping the Buckeyes to a 12-1 record and a win in the Suger Bowl. A Huber Heights, Ohio, native, Freeman earned sec- ond-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior at OSU, which he helped lead to three BCS bowl games, including two national championship appearances, during his career. He was a fifth-round NFL draft pick in 2009, but a medi- cal condition ended his professional playing career and started his coaching one. — Kyle Charters