Purdue’s Hudson Card embracing leadership role in year two
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Last season, Purdue quarterback Hudson Card didn’t want to come on too strong as a leader of the team. He decided to just put his head down and work.
Now, he’s becoming more active in his leadership. He’s focused on making relationships with his teammates, focusing specifically on how to interact with each of his teammates differently.
This offseason, he’s had more time to get to know his teammates and build those relationships.
“From a leadership standpoint, he’s more comfortable now,” Purdue head coach Ryan Walters sad. “He knows his teammates. He knows how they operate. He knows what we want out of him as a leader, and it has been fun to see him embrace that aspect of playing the position.”
Card has been impressed with the locker room chemistry the team has had already.
With 37 new faces on the team this year, the assumption would be that it would take some time for everyone to bond. But, that has not been the case.
“This is one of the tighter locker rooms that I’ve been a part of,” Card said.
He said that the guys that returned from last year’s team were already super close and that the new guys got there in January, which made a huge difference in helping them build chemistry already.
Despite the chemistry, there are question marks surrounding the success of Purdue’s team this season. They brought in top-30 recruiting classes and transfer classes, but with one of the toughest schedules in the country, the voters in the preseason Big Ten media poll were not bullish on the Boilermakers.
Purdue was ranked dead last in the conference.
Card said that he obviously saw the poll, but he’s focused on what he can do to help the team win.
“It’s just more fuel to the fire for us to prove everyone wrong,” Card said.
Card gets the benefit of familiar faces in the coaching staff for his second year. Walters is heading into his second year in West Lafayette as well, and Purdue’s offensive coordinator Graham Harrell will be in his second season too.
Card said the coaching continuity is huge. It helps them schematically, but also with building relationships inside the building. He’s been getting more in-depth into the details of the plays and understanding why they’re calling the plays when they do.
As for what he’s working on in the offseason, Card has been honing on his footwork in the pocket. He said when his feet are good, good things happen. When his feet are chaotic, it makes his brain chaotic too.
Walters said that he’s seen Card improve in his decision making and with the speed at which his decisions are being made.
Card passed for 2,387 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 11 games last season.
Purdue went 4-8 last year, and will look to start out strong when they open their season against Indiana State at Ross-Ade Stadium on August 31 at noon.