Last year the Purdue Boilermakers attempted to go with experience over raw talent at quarterback, only to discover that experience wasn’t going to matter much. That meant a switch to true freshman signal caller, Danny Etling, who showed promise amidst a rough 1-11 season for the Boilermakers.
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However, the challenges also led some to believe that Etling wasn’t quite ready for primetime just yet. It also led head coach Darrell Hazell to open up the competition throughout spring and fall camp.
After two weeks worth of practices, Hazell apparently had seen enough to convince him that Etling was the man—naming him the starting quarterback according to Purdue Rivals.com site, GoldandBlack.com.
The biggest difference between this season and last appear to be in the way Etling prepares for games and handles the huddle. He even admitted as much:
“I’m so much of a better player and so much more experienced than I was last year,” Etling said recently, via GoldandBlack.com. “I know what to expect going into the next season. I understand what’s expected of me, knowing how to prepare.”
It’s something his receivers have taken notice of as well, especially those he worked with most of last season.
“He’s more comfortable,” receiver B.J. Knauf said. “Last year, I felt like he was overthinking a lot of things. … But he looks so much more comfortable in the pocket, with the plays. As a leader, he looks much better and he’s holding himself to a higher standard.”
Hazell made the announcement after Monday morning’s practice:
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