Purdue Boilermakers 2025 Football: Offensive Preview
Purdue is once again trying to revitalize their program with a defensive minded head coach. In the history of Purdue football this has never worked out. However, like a moth drawn to the flame the athletic department has decided to try again.
Head coach Barry Odom did not bring with him his offensive coordinator from UNLV. This isn’t a great surprise. While Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense was successful at UNLV, he clashed with Odom when Marion promised NIL payouts to players that were never delivered. Furthermore, Marion’s 14 years as a football coach has seen him jump to 12 different stops.
Instead of Marion, Josh Henson will be running the offense for the Boilermakers. Henson has spent the past three seasons at USC as their offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Since Lincoln Riley was calling the plays, this essentially meant Henson was just the offensive line coach. Some USC fans were sour on Henson’s OL recruiting viewing him as taking too many developmental projects but the general consensus has been that his O-lines developed nicely over the course of a season and got better as time went on. At the very least, Henson appears to be able to coach an offensive line, something Purdue was severely lacking last year when they had a sack rate of 8.9% and a pitiful rushing attack.
Henson does have some play calling experience but it has been awhile. At Missouri he was the offensive coordinator from 2009 through 2015. The 2013 offense was great, averaging 39.1 points per game on the season while playing in the SEC. Poor quarterback play in 2014 led to middling results and a disastrous 2015 season with freshman quarterback Drew Lock saw Henson get fired by incoming Missouri head coach Barry Odom and relegated to position coach for the following decade
It’s hard to say what Henson’s offensive scheme will look like since it’s been so long since he had play calling duties. About the only thing we can say with any clarity is that an emphasis on solid line play will be the foundation on which his offense is built.
There will be no roster breakdown this year as Purdue’s entire roster has turned over. Instead I’ll highlight a few names and battles to watch.
Devin Mockobee is the presumptive starting running back. The former walk-on broke out as a freshman under Jeff Brohm but has yet to eclipse 1000 yards in a single season. Mockobee can be a bruising runner but has had issues with fumbles in the past.
The quarterback battle is wide open. Some Purdue fans believe that Ryan Browne has the inside lane to the starting spot after transferring back to Purdue folloeing a short stint at UNC, but it’s truly an open race between Browne, holdover Bennett Meredith, and incoming transfers Evans Chuba and Malachi Singleton. The fact that no one was able to break away from the pack in the spring is concerning and seen as a large reason why Browne was recruited back to Purdue. Purdue may need to try a run heavy approach out of necessity.
The offensive line has been completely remade with an infusion of very heavy large humans that have transferred in. Guard Jalen St. John is probably the most proven player, but the success of the group may hinge on University of Manitoba product Giordano Vaccaro. If there’s a plus position group for this offense it will be the line but will the lower level success of several players translate up? Will the unit be better than the sum of its parts?
A lack of proven options in the wide receiver room is frightening. Multiple castoffs from Georgia will try to prove themselves when not competing for playing time in the Bulldogs offense. Like every other position except running back, the massive influx of transfers seems to leave more questions than answers heading into fall camp.
Overall, expectations are down for the Boilermakers offense this season. They should at least be able to surpass the meager 15.8 points/game of last year’s capsized ship.
