Purdue Boilermakers' Innovative Football Drill Goes Viral

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Owen Crisafulli | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 5:03 PM ET

The 2024 campaign was a rough one for the Purdue Boilermakers, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that they were ready to hit the field for spring practices in March and turn the page. The team has been hard at work recently, with a clip emerging of a unique drill the team has been running emerging on social media.

Purdue labored through 2024, finishing with a lowly 1-11 record, making them one of the worst teams in the country. Head coach Ryan Walters was unsurprisingly fired, with Barry Odom coming in to replace him, and he made it clear right off the bat that he will hold his team to a high level of expectations.

"If you're not ready, you're going to get exposed very quickly," said Odom. "The way we've structured our practice is a lot of organization and a lot of moving parts that have to be on the same page. Our coaching staff has done a nice job getting that designed, implemented and taught."

While the start of the 2025 season is still months away, building that winning mentality starts in March during these spring practices. The Boilermakers have been going hard as they try to get themselves back on the right track, and that involved implementing a new drill that works on improving their defense's ability to force fumbles.

Attack the ball pic.twitter.com/N5qzjSKIbi
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) March 27, 2025

The drill sees Purdue defenders attacking a rolling "donut" that has a football strapped to it. Players are tasked with punching the football out of the moving object, simulating situations they may find themselves in once the games get underway in August.

With Odom altering the Boilermakers traditional spring game, the first chance fans will get to see the team in action is on Saturday, April 12, which is when the team's new spring showcase is scheduled for.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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