47 Days to Purdue Football: Chris Carlino

Today's profile is the first returning starter I have been able to profile in awhile. He is more of a co-starter, however. He ended up playing a roughly equal amount of time with Dwayne Beckford at middle linebacker last season. Chris Carlino comes into the 2010 season as one of our defense's most experienced players.

Chris Carlino - Jr.

Hometown: Fishers, IN (Hamilton Southeastern HS)

Linebacker

6'2", 226 pounds

2010 Projection: Starter/Regular contributor at middle linebacker

Carlino did something in 2008 that few players can do: He came in and started immediately as a middle linebacker in the Big Ten. This was mostly because of need. Kevin Green was a failed project, and we needed someone to play in the middle. Since then it has been a baptism by fire, but he has held his own. He averaged three tackles per game in 2008 with five starts. He also recovered a fumble at Michigan State.

Last season was a year of improvement for Carlino even if he did split time with Beckford. He started all 12 games and recorded 71 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Unfortunately, he has a penchant for recording his turnovers in losses. The fumble recovery came against Northern Illinois, and the interception was at Minnesota.

Carlino is a building construction management technology major who was a high school teammate of Chris Summers. Future defensive end Randy Gregory is also a Hamilton Southeastern product. Off the field he is not working on a Christian rap solo album, as Google would have us believe. He is also not writing a blog because the judge told him to. He was recently moved to outside linebacker, where he may start alongside Jason Werner and Beckford. Antwon Higgs and Will Lucas also figure to play, making for our deepest group of linebackers in years.