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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 47 be crucial in identifying depth there, too. For one, Neal is out after having surgery, and there are not obvious players to fill in with the 1s. Perhaps it's Alex Criddle or Keiwan Jones or Anthony Watts, who redshirted last season, on the inside. There are no clear answers on the edges, either: Not a single player on the roster be- hind Robinson and Larkin has significant game snaps in his career. Mid-year arrival Kai Higgins will get an extensive look. The secondary could have a new two-deep each day, considering Purdue finished last season without clear- cut starters at several spots, though senior Da'Wan Hunte and sophomore Navon Mosley seemed to be in line for No. 1 spots, as well as safety mid-year transfer T.J. Jallow. The linebacking corps, at least the projected 1s, could be the defense's strength because it returns Ja'Whaun Bentley, Markus Bailey and Danny Ezechukwu and adds Western Kentucky graduate transfer, T.J. McCollum. McCollum, who enrolled in mid-February, had 191 tack- les in only two seasons in Holt's defense, and his knowl- edge of the system and apparent playmaking ability could mean he supplants one of the returning players as a starter. But that won't be known this spring because he's out rehabbing an elbow injury. Really, though, Holt is looking for any player who can make plays. That'll be his charge this spring, especially in the front seven, his area of expertise, Jeff Brohm said. In terms of what's currently available from a pass rush perspective, Robinson's five sacks led the team last season, while Larkin had 2.5 and Wilson had 2.5. The returning linebackers had zero, which likely won't be repeated in Holt's defense, one that calls on the 'backers to blitz. "We've got to find 22 really, really good players be- cause for us to play at the level we want to as far as ef- fort, we're going to get tired, so we've got to get good backups," Holt said. "But we've got to find out here very quickly in spring ball what our guys can do the best, who they are as football players. We've got to make sure we have the kids in the right positions so they're successful. "We'll struggle with some things, but what we've got to do a good job of this spring and do it quickly is finding who we are really as a defense, as far as athletically, and we've got to find our playmakers. It's really important for me to find out who our playmakers are. Let's get them in a position and let's do what they do really well. It's really important to me that we find guys who can get after the quarterback or can get going and get tackles for losses, guys who can get us out of drives. Bend don't break, that's all great, but we've got to get after the offense and get the ball back. We need explosive-type players. We've got to highlight those." Other than identifying personnel, it'll be important for Brohm's and Holt's systems to get installed this spring. On offense, there are a significant amount of chang- es with more pass concepts, a new language — typically each coach has a preferred way of wording plays and concepts — and new formations to learn in play-caller Jeff Brohm's no-huddle offense. Though every position is going to be required to learn and adapt, perhaps none is more important than the quarterback, who's charged with getting the group in the right places and establishing order. As well as hav- ing a firm grasp of when and where other players should be and how to throw specific routes. It could be overwhelming for some players, but Blough said he was eager to dive into a new system and new terminology — even if it was his third in three seasons. "We have to get as knowledgeable as we can about the new system," Blough said in mid-February. "We had four official meetings and we're still going through In- stall 1. So we have to learn the system they're trying to put in place because that will allow us to be efficient, do things fast, play smart, make good decisions. All that stuff you want to be able to do starts with learning it, formations, motions, the terminology, the concepts. That's got to be (priority) No. 1. "I take pride in learning it and it gives me an advan- tage when leading the guys, when teaching and helping people learn it. I'm just looking at the whole ordeal as an opportunity rather than a threat and just making the most of every practice we get, every rep, because they're evaluating us on everything." j