Barry Odom Discusses Purdue's QB Situation Following Spring Showcase

Right now, it doesn't sound like Barry Odom is comfortable naming a starting quarterback as Purdue closes out the spring football practice period. That doesn't mean the position group hasn't improved drastically from when it started.

Purdue held its spring showcase at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, bringing a close to the spring practice period in West Lafayette. Obviously, the quarterback situation was one of the first questions Odom had to field after the event.

The Boilers currently have seven quarterbacks on the roster, but Odom said earlier this spring that Bennett Meredith, Evans Chuba, EJ Colson and Malachi Singleton were the four competing for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

How has the quarterback battle shaped up through 15 spring practices?

"You know, I think No. 1, Bennett Meredith has made a lot of strides, they all have. But Bennett, a guy who was here (last year), has made a big-time jump. Excited about what he's done," Odom said. "We've got some tough conversations and decisions to make on really what it looks like going into this next phase of April, May and then June and July.

"I think we have elements of guys that have an opportunity to go play winning ball, but we've got to get them all better."

Meredith is the lone player from that group that was at Purdue last season. He did not play in any games during the 2024 campaign but did appear in three contests during the 2023 season, completing seven-of-11 passes for 43 yards.

Chuba, Colson and Singleton all arrived at Purdue via the transfer portal.

Although Odom was hesitant to name Purdue's No. 1 guy after Saturday's spring showcase, he did say that he's seen a lot of progress made among the four guys battling for that position. Collectively, he believes that room has taken some major strides.

"The understanding of what we're trying to call play-wise," Odom said. "Executing the offense, taking care of the football — those things are what we're looking for. We need guys to be field generals, need them to be stoic. They're not allowed to have a bad day. It's the hardest position in sport to play, we put the most on them, they touch the ball every snap. There's a lot that goes into playing that spot and we've made really good progress."

There's still plenty of time between now and the start of Purdue's 2025 season opener to make that final decision. The Boilers won't take the field until Saturday, Aug. 30 against Ball State.

It sounds like we still may have a race for the starting job heading into summer workouts and fall camp.