Among a rotation of of defensive linemen, junior Kydran Jenkins has shown consistency as a pass rusher for Purdue football during the 2022 season.
He is the team's leader in sacks, registering 3.5 quarterback takedowns so far this season. The edge defender operates from the LEO position, a defensive end/linebacker hybrid that allows Jenkins to showcase versatility.
However, in the team's 35-24 loss to Wisconsin last Saturday, Jenkins had to be helped off the field with an apparent leg injury and would not return to the game. He is one of several players the Boilermakers are looking to get healthy after a bye week.
"KJ might take a little while, but he's done a good job these last couple days," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said on Tuesday. "But we came out of this one with some bumps and bruises. There's quite a few guys that gotta get healthy. So we'll speed it up as fast as we can and try to get some of them back by Sunday, if not a little bit later."
So far this season, Jenkins has tallied 12 total tackles, a forced fumble and a pass defelction to go along with his team-high sack number. If he is unable to return to form in time for the team's next game, redshirt senior Scotty Humpich and true freshman Nic Caraway are next in the rotation.
Humpich, a transfer this offseason from Murray State, has 15 total tackles and one sack on the season. Caraway, who joined the Boilermakers out of Bryan High School in Texas as a four-star recruit by Rivals. In his first year of college football, he has seven total tackles and is still looking to register the first sack of his career.
But Purdue will hope to have Jenkins back next week ahead of its next game, a matchup with Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"KJ, I give him credit. He plays really good football for us," Brohm said of Jenkins. "He's been nicked up and injured a lot. He comes back almost as fast as anyone we have. He can play through pain, he loves to compete, he's one of our hardest working players every game — every practice.
"So he's been just a great leader, and it's been by example. He's a little undersized for that position, but he goes hard, and he's very valuable to our team."
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