Several Purdue defenders will have the full attention of Notre Dame football on Saturday
Purdue football is now in its second season under head coach Ryan Walters. With his reputation as a great defensive mind, it should be no surprise that Walters is building a tremendous defense in West Lafayette. There are several talented members of that defense, and a lot to be excited about for the Boilermakers. With […]
Purdue football is now in its second season under head coach Ryan Walters. With his reputation as a great defensive mind, it should be no surprise that Walters is building a tremendous defense in West Lafayette. There are several talented members of that defense, and a lot to be excited about for the Boilermakers.
With so much uncertainty offensively for Notre Dame, they need to be prepared for anything this weekend. Here are the Purdue standouts you most need to keep a close eye on. It’s a talented group, but one the Irish can make plays against if schemed properly.
DE Will Heldt
I have no idea where Purdue keeps finding these defensive lineman, but they have another one. The sophomore is listed at 6-6 and 265 pounds, and still somehow looks skinny. Heldt’s frame and length is exceptional, as is his closing speed. He recorded 7 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks in their first game against Indiana State. Now Heldt gets a much more difficult battle, which will be interesting to watch.
DT Jeffrey M’ba
M’ba was a former highly regarded junior college transfer that ended up with Auburn originally. This is now his second year with the Boilermakers and it feels like things are starting to click. At 6-6 and 302 pounds, M’ba is their most intimidating interior defender. The Notre Dame offensive line got beat up inside against Northern Illinois. They will have to be ready to battle, and M’ba looks to generate some NFL Draft buzz with a big performance
LB Kydran Jenkins
After spending the bulk of his career on the edge, Purdue moved Jenkins to middle linebacker this offseason. The thought process is to make him a player that opponents can’t avoid. Plus it helps when you have a player like Heldt waiting in the wings. During the course of Jenkins career, he has recorded 128 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, and 17.5 sacks. Jenkins is a very unique player from a body type perspective at 6-1 and 260 pounds.
S Dillon Thieneman
There’s a very strong argument that Thieneman is the best player on the Purdue team, and by a wide margin. He was a Freshman All-American in 2023, exploding for 106 total tackles, two tackles for loss, six interceptions, two pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. At 6-0 and 207 pounds, Thieneman has the look of a thumper, and he certainly is. The Indiana native has no issues getting downhill and being physical. The more surprising part of Thieneman’s game is that he’s a really good player working from depth. His instincts and ball skills are tremendous.
