Consistency earns Ryan Browne starting QB gig with Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The wait is over. Purdue coach Barry Odom announced on Thursday morning that redshirt sophomore Ryan Browne would be the Boilermakers’ starting quarterback against Ball State. Purdue had stayed tight-lipped about its plans at the position since the start of spring practice, but with just over a week until the season opener, Odom made the expectation the reality.

Offensive coordinator Josh Henson hadn’t been a part of a quarterback competition like the one that took place in West Lafayette during fall camp, with the Boilermakers evenly distributing reps between Browne, Malachi Singleton, Bennett Meredith and Evans Chuba for the better part of a month.

Browne’s emergence began in the summer and quickly escalated as fall camp played out, as he fought off best efforts from Singleton and Meredith in particular, to earn the starting role. The deciding factor was simply how consistent the rising sophomore had been during practice.

“Pretty unique. I mean, some of that just comes along with Ryan didn’t go through spring ball, not that familiar with him. And then, really, it came from too that some of the other guys room, like Bennett Meredith, and Malachi Singleton improved so tremendously, much from spring until now. So it was fun to watch,” Henson said.

“He’s been the most consistent through camp,” Henson said. “That has been a tough battle in that room, for sure. There’s a lot of guys competing for that job, and did a great job and got a lot better. And so I feel really good about the quarterback room. And you know, we’re gonna go put our team in position to win games in that room.”

Browne was brought back to West Lafayette after the spring, just months after bolting to North Carolina in the transfer portal. While he had built-in relationships with some of the returners, Browne gained the trust of his new teammates as well, establishing himself as a vocal leader for the Boilermakers.

“Great leadership qualities every day. The guy is, his intangibles are phenomenal, especially only be a part of the team for three or four months, and the relationship he’s developed with the team and his ability to lead them. Because you have to earn the respect for them to allow you to lead them in the way that he does, because he’s vocal about it, and he’s intense about. And that’s, to me, one of the best parts about him, and who he is as a leader on the team, and he is as a quarterback,” Henson said.

Following Purdue’s second scrimmage of the fall last weekend, Browne took a major step forward in the battle, taking all of the first team reps throughout the week, looking poised to earn the top spot. That trend was the precursor for what Purdue ultimately decided on Thursday. It was not necessarily his scrimmage performance that separated him from the pack, however.

“I don’t think anything specific in the scrimmage. I think it’s just a body of work over time. You know, when you kind of start to get a feel for where you think it’s headed, and then you try to start doing it that way, so that everyone around can get better too,” Henson said.

Now that Browne has cemented his spot as the leader of the Purdue offense, what does he bring to the table? The 6-foot-4 signal caller offers a dual-threat ability, with the arm talent to make every throw and quickness to both extend passing plays and make defenses stay disciplined in the run game.

“Great arm talent. You know, he can make all the throws. We’re still working on some fundamental things that he can even get better at, but overall, I mean, there’s nothing that you draw up that you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s not his throw’. He can throw them all,” Henson said.

“A mobile quarterback is always important, because you extend plays in scramble drills,” Henson said. “A guy that can run can obviously extend pass plays, get out of trouble, and those things always make it hard on the defense. You know, if we do what I believe we can do, what I know we can do in the passing game, obviously, that’s where his legs are for that.”

The question now becomes whether Browne will make the most of this opportunity in West Lafayette, becoming the full-time starter for the first time in his career to date. Another layer in the ongoing storyline will be his supporting cast and whether they can make life easier for the Boilermakers’ signal caller. A developing receiving corps and gelling offensive line will be just as important as the play of Browne.

“I mean, we got to be an everyday unit… That’s where consistency comes from. We got to be the same every day so that we can start to get even more comfortable, with timing and execution and all those things,” Henson said of Purdue’s receivers. “that unit is going to make a lot of plays for us this year. They’re going to be really good. Are we growing and continuing to make it consistent every day? Yes, we are, but they’re coming out working hard every day to do that.”

“Now the job is for that position, for everybody else around the quarterback position, to play at a high level. Make it easier on the quarterback. You got to be able to play catch, you got to be able to protect, we got to be great in our play calls. And we’re excited about where our offense is headed,” Odom said.