If a walk-on can break through and earn playing time it is a huge boost. Not much is expected from them, but every once in awhile one breaks through to have a big career like Nick Hardwick, Landon Feichter, and more. Today's player is a redshirt freshman walk-on that hopes to be an effective player.
Conor Sweeney - Fr. (RS)
Indianapolis, IN (Fork Union Military Academy)
6'4", 247 pounds
Defensive End
2015 Projection: Deep Reserve at Defensive End
Sweeney could be an interesting addition to Purdue. He redshirted last year as a walk-on, and that followed a year as a TE and DE at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. That officially counted as a post-graduate year, so he is two years out of his high school, but has four years of eligibility.
Before that, he played at powerhouse school Cathedral in Indianapolis. Cathedral is simply the most successful program in Indiana state history with 12 state championships. They are currently on a run of five straight state championships, and have won so much they are the only program playing two full classes above their enrollment. Sweeney played a big role in that. He was part of the first three of those teams.
There are some highlights of his time at Fork Union. Even then, he is a kid that comes from a winning program, so he knows how to win. As if you needed another reason to cheer for him, his Twitter handle is @GingerNation24.