42 Days To Purdue Football: Andy James Garcia

For years we have had Cody Webster in this spot, but he is (hopefully) off to the NFL, meaning we have a new player here. He is a returning player that had a rough first season on the field in 2013.

Andy James Garcia - So. (RS)

Hialeah, FL (Hialeah HS)

6', 217 pounds

Linebacker

2014 Projection: Contributor at linebacker/special teams

I don't often get to talk about a guy from Mrs. T-Mill's hometown, but Andy and my wife hail from the Miami suburb of Hialeah, which is one of the most interesting places I have ever visited in my life. From Ñoooo que Barato (the strangest department store you will ever see) to Los Tres Monitos (a fantastic Colombian bakery) Hialeah is definitely unique. Andy himself probably has experience in rolling La 49.

Last season Andy played extensively and finished with 14 tackles and an interception. He was mostly a special teamer, but also played quite a bit at linebacker. His interception came against Nebraska where he also had five tackles.

Garcia comes into 2014 battling to play more at linebacker with a couple of freshmen pushing him for time. He was a first-team all Miami-Dade County selection in his senior season in high school and he is a former teammate of Carlos Carvajal as well. He is a player with a lot of promise that should at least provide depth at a position of major need.