Hazell Announces Spring Award Winners

Purdue coach Darell Hazell got his team together one last time for the spring today to name the Spring Football award winners. Hazell gave the same awards Purdue has given since Joe Tiller arrived in 1997, without adding any new awards.

Redshirt freshman Jordan Roos (offense) and sophomore Ryan Watson (defense) were named the Most Improved Award winners.

Freshman quarterback Danny Etling, who is battling for the starting job, won the Newcomber Award.

The Pit Bull Award goes to "players that exemplified and sustained tenacity and intense play throughout spring practices," this spring those were sophomore center Robert Kugler (offense) and junior Ryan Russell (defense).

Sophomore Frankie Williams received the Hammer Award for the hardest hitter in spring practices.

The school's release also said Purdue would not elect captains until fall camp began.

This puts a wrap on spring practice and summer workouts will begin with Maymester and summer semester classes. During that time, the players can only work with the strength coaches, not positional coaches or Hazell, so summer workouts are usually limited to strength and conditioning work, with some 7-on-7 games and other workouts taking place informally and as scheduled by the players themselves.

Fall camp begins in August.