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Congratulations are in order for former Purdue running back Brandon Cottom!
Congrats to my dogs @JSinz84 @G_Holmes86 @LBF44 & @B_Cott_25 on Indy, Oakland, Cleveland, & Seattle! About to change the game. #CarpeDiem
— Charles Torwudzo Jr. (@ChuckT17) May 3, 2015
Cottom was mentioned here by teammate and friend Charles Torwudzo, so I assume it is pretty correct.
I always felt that Cottom was under-used this year and last season under coach Hazell. He is, basically, a gigantic running back at 6'4" and 265 pounds. Since we had trouble moving the football during those two years handing to a large human being like him in short yardage should have been a no-brainer.
Well, he was never given the ball a lot. In his career he had 77 carries for 436 yards and 3 TDs. One of those TDs came on an 87-yard run against Eastern Michigan in 2012. Essentially, he gained one of out every five yards in his career on one play. After rushing for 70 yards on 7 carries as a freshman in 2011 against Southeast Missouri State he tore his ACL, but returned with no ill-effects.
He never made the rotation much with Hazell, however. In fact, he ended up catching more passes (two) than having rushing attempts (one) this past season. He had a single carry for three yards against Indiana, but had a 7 yard TD catch against Notre Dame. He also had a two-point conversion against Southern Illinois.
He was a decent receiver in his career. He finished with 16 career receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard catch and run. I could see a move to tight end or an H-back role in his future if he makes an NFL roster.
And obviously he has some talent if he got a look by Seattle after being barely used his senior season. Here is a player that touched the football eight times (1 carry, 2 receptions, 1 two-point run, 4 kickoff returns) in his senior season, but Seattle saw enough to give him a shot. Even if he becomes a huge blocking fullback he can be used as he should have been used at Purdue: If you need a yard, give it to the very large human being.