When Purdue football hits the field Aug. 31 for the season opener against Indiana State, they will do so with two talented receivers looking for a breakthrough season.
Both Jaron Tibbs and Jahmal Edrine have been trying to separate themselves from the pack during practice.
Tibbs, who is fresh off a big freshman season, said there has been an open competition heading into the season for the wide receiver position and he looks forward to cementing his spot in the lineup.
“It was an open race for the receiver spot. It was free and equal for everyone, whoever made the most plays. The way they threw me into the fire last year gave me a good outlook for how it is in a game,” Tibbs said.
As a freshman last year, Tibbs hauled in five catches for 42 yards for Purdue football. Tibbs said the greatest thing he has learned form year one to year two is understanding the playbook more and learning how to get leverage. And, he admits he feels like a leader in the wide receiver room.
“I definitely feel like a leader because I know the tradition here and have been here for two years and there are a lot of new faces in the program,” Tibbs said.
Tibbs said having Edrine back in the mix is huge for Purdue football.
“It’s a big deal. He’s kind of our difference maker. He’s going to make those big plays on critical downs that we need,” Tibbs said.
After a successful 2022 at Florida Atlantic, Edrine transferred to Purdue for the 2023 campaign. However, his season was ended before it even started as the Purdue football wide receiver suffered a season ending injury in fall camp.
“It was heartbreaking for sure, but as soon as it happened, I put my head down and went to work. I knew I had to be out here. It was disappointing at first,” Edrine told the media this week.
As for what he learned while being out, Edrine said never taking a play off.
“You want to take every rep as if it’s your last and every time you come out here, you don’t want to take it for granted. It made me appreciate the game even more,” he said.
Now that he is back in the fold, Edrine said he is fully active and expects to be back and ready for the season opener.
“We know everybody in the room and everybody knows when you’re number is called, you better be ready. We are being tested and we have answered the call so far,” Edrine said.
How good can the receivers be this fall?
“We can be as good as we want to be. Depends on how much we do, how much we stay locked in and how many plays we make,” Tibbs said.
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