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26 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com T echnically, Jimmy Herman was credited with a tackle. It was Purdue's season opener last year, West- ern Michigan was driving and had a first down inside the red zone with about four minutes left in the first quarter. Jarvion Franklin, a bruising freshman back, got the carry and took it inside the right tackle. Then-sophomore linebacker Herman was waiting on the other side of the hole, squatting, seemingly ready to deliver a blow. But Herman, a safety in high school, hadn't quite proven to coaches he could deliver a blow. As he kept hearing, he wasn't as physical as they wanted him to be. Herman showed it on that snap: Franklin made contact, and Herman started to go down almost immediately, right knee hitting the ground as Franklin kept knees churning. Herman never let go, clinging to Franklin's forearms, but he was being dragged. Eventually Herman pulled Frank- lin down, but a four-yard gain had turned into eight. It was not what Marcus Freeman wanted to see. Freeman, the fiery linebackers coach, pulled Herman aside after the drive and told him point-blank: If you can't knock that guy backward when you tackle him, you can't play. Freeman put in Joe Gilliam, and Herman didn't like it. Gilliam, though, tore the ACL in his knee about three weeks later and was out for the season, pushing Herman into significant snaps. But that was good: They bolstered Herman's confidence in his assignments and, thus, his ability to be more sure and hit holes faster, quicker, with- out hesitation. As he got experience, he never forgot Freeman's ulti- matum. In the spring, Herman made sure everyone remem- bered. During a rare live period in spring ball, Purdue's of- fense was backed up on its 1-yard line and charged with a "coming out" situation. On the first snap, Keith Byars got the handoff and Herman came up and thumped him, resulting in a safety. The huge hit made a huge impression. As the coaching staff watched film after practice, they knew: Herman finally got it. They had evidence Herman had evolved into a physical player, a cornerstone trait for the position and especially for one of former linebacker Freeman's crew. And what a key evolution it was for one of the defense's most underrated but important pieces. "He's definitely a guy we're going to be watching this season," fellow linebacker and roommate Evan Pulliam said. "He's really matured a lot from last year. He's smart — he knows what he's doing every play. He played safety in high school, and he's taken that safety element here in college. He's finally playing the coverage. "And, now, he's able to bring in the tackling factor." And, now, Purdue may have a prototype strongside linebacker. MAKING THE GRADE Jimmy Herman never has had to worry about academ- ics, really. He's always been naturally intelligent and motivated. Growing up, he wanted to make sure he was doing "ev- erything right," and that meant making his parents proud with a good performance in the classroom. Troy and Jo- anne Herman are Purdue graduates with engineering degrees, so there was a standard. But Jimmy Herman never faltered. He finished Carmel High School with a 4.0 GPA. "I was always really concerned about doing as best as I could and maybe not goofing off much in class. I knew when the time was right to do that — it definitely wasn't in class," Jimmy Herman said. "So I've always been a quiet guy in the classroom, making sure I get everything done." That includes Purdue, where Herman is carrying a cumulative 3.94 GPA as an industrial engineering major. He's bummed it's not a 4.0 and says some of the classes The Evolution More physical Herman gives Purdue an edge