27 Days To Purdue Football: T.J. Barbarette

One of the best things about Joe Tiller was the way he referred to some players. T.J. Barbarette was on the receiving end of that his first year when he walked on to the Purdue football team in 2008. Tiller consistently referred to Barbarette as "the short, fast kid". 

T.J. Barbarette - Jr. (RS)

Hometown: Mt. Vernon, IN (Mt. Vernon HS)

Wide Receiver

5'6", 165 pounds

2011 Projection: Contributor on Special Teams, possibly at wide receiver

Barbarette saw his first career action last season when he appeared in five games mostly as a special teamer. he returned seven kickoffs for 167 yards with a nice 54-yard return against Michigan. The 54-yarder was the longest return for the team on the season and his 23.9 return average was teh highest on the team.

He is a former high school teammate with Josh Van Zant where he was the MVP of the track team and football. He could see time this season as a punt returner, which isn't bad for a guy that walked-on to the team as an undersized running back that ran and caught passes for over 1,000 yards as a senior in high school. His final senior year stats were as follows:

1,116 yards on just 115 carries with 13 touchdowns

1,224 yards on 67 passes and 16 touchdowns

2 punts returned for touchdowns

2 kickoffs returned for touchdowns

Barbarette should battle Raheem Mostert for playing time as the lead kick returner. His blazing speed and elusiveness is a great asset in the open field.

Boilermakings Notes:

GoldandBlack.com - Defensive end leaves team; Day 1 camp report
GBI has the update from day 1 of practice yesterday. It appears as if Rashad Frazier has unexpectedly left the team.

Purdue QB has firm grip on glove | Journal and Courier | jconline.com
Ten months removed from a freak injury to his right index finger, Rob Henry doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.