GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 1 23
BY STACY CLARDIE
SClardie@GoldandBlack.com
T
hey were one of the few
units that provided no
cause for concern entering
camp.
Markus Bailey, Ja'Whaun Bent-
ley and Danny Ezechukwu weren't
only linebackers returning with
starting experience — Bentley and
Ezechukwu have more starts than
anyone on Purdue's roster — but
they were players who have pro-
duced, too. They've been embedded
in game situations, made tackles
against the Big Ten's best backs,
made plays in space against wide-
open offenses, aggressively pur-
sued ballcarriers and quarterbacks.
Bailey led the Boilermakers in
tackles and interceptions last sea-
son as a redshirt freshman and
could be the most talented of the
group.
Bentley was an all-league-player-
in-the-making before suffering an
ACL injury as a sophomore and lag-
ging through lingering effects last
season.
Ezechukwu, the fifth-year senior,
may be the mentally toughest play-
er in the unit, sustaining through
adversity of position switches and
decreased game snaps only to be
named a captain.
And, then, Purdue went and add-
ed a graduate transfer last spring
from Western Kentucky, a phys-
ically mature fierce tackler with
intimate knowledge of Nick Holt's
defense in T.J. McCollum. And the
corps that already was projected
to do big things got an immediate
boost.
But none of that would have
Defense,
especially
front seven,
impresses
in camp
Stacy Clardie
T.J. McCollum and Purdue's linebackers made their presence felt during training camp as
the defense's most experienced group.
Tone Setter Tone Setter
