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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 61 f linebacker to Robinson's position in the middle. "I think it was different for him," Freeman said. "It was more making the calls and telling people where to go. That's the difficult part of being a (middle linebacker) because you have to know so many things. It was a diffi- cult transition but he did it." And now Bentley figures to remain in that role for the balance of his Purdue career, looking like a center- piece-type player for the Boilermakers to build future de- fenses around. "He will be as good as he wants to be," Freeman said. "But to be good or not good, it's not easy to do. It's going to take a lot of hard work." SECONDARY Purdue sought to reload its defensive backfield in recruiting last year, but after several commitments evaporated, one signee didn't make it to campus and another quickly switched positions, then left, it's left with just two players in its ascending class of redshirt freshmen: Brandon Roberts and Tim Cason. Roberts will have a chance to figure into Purdue's equation at cornerback come spring, barring a move to safety, which is conceivable considering the need there. "We've seen some slight improvement for sure," sec- ondary coach Taver Johnson said in-season of Roberts. "He has some long arms and some athletic ability; we are really pleased with how he has picked up things. He's still a freshman so it's always crazy, but we like what we've seen out of him and he's played a lot of football and I think that's the key." Purdue did get a good look at the 5-11, 175ish-pound DB as he saw a good deal of second-team work in practice early in the season while being considered as a candidate to avoid redshirting. Coaches also looked at Roberts as a potential special teams piece. "I like his ball skills and I like his tenacity," Johnson said. "He's a hitter for sure, a physical young man. I think he has very good attributes that sometimes you really can't coach. A guy who wants to hit and wants to be phys- ical." Johnson cited refinement of "technique" from here on out as Roberts' greatest room for improvement. "Any time you come out of high school, you need to understand that technique is everything," Johnson said. "There are a lot of things involved before the ball is even snapped." Cason, a more physically advanced 5-11, nearly 190-plus-pound DB, came to Purdue as a corner, but was moved to safety in camp. "I think he's a better fit there," Johnson said. "He's a taller guy and he will be a 200-pounder for sure. We like his skill set that he had coming in as a corner, a guy who can tackle in space and be physical. Him moving to safety is going to be good for him." j Tom Campbell Tim Cason already looks the part, and with graduation in Purdue's secondary, he could get a chance in 2015.