Training Camp Battles: Quarterback

Summer Camp is nearing the end, our Boilermakers play in just over a week on August 30th. There have been some tight position battles since camp has started, none closer than at quarterback.

The two veterans on our team have been battling it out all summer and there still is no clear winner of this battle yet, but it doesn’t mean we cannot break it down.

The participants of this position battle are quite obvious, Elijah Sindelar and David Blough. Both have unique qualities that they bring to the table, but at some point, one will have to be named starter, or will we get co starters?

Elijah Sindelar - Junior

Sindelar is the prototypical Quarterback for the Brohm offense. He is tall, has a big arm and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. With the end to last season, you would think that this is a wrap for him, but Coach Brohm has said all summer that this is open. Eli was great late in the season, leading Purdue to three wins and a bowl victory after the ankle injury sidelined Blough.

While he has a ton of talent, he still makes mental mistakes. He sometimes overthrows open receivers and he often holds on to the ball too long. He isn’t slow by any means, but he is not the best scrambler of the two either. With Eli, you get more of a gun slinging pocket passer, which is not a bad thing.

David Blough - Senior

Blough is the leader of this team and has been for a couple of years now. If he wins the starting spot or not, he will still be the leader. David has great short range accuracy and is the better runner of the two quarterbacks. While his arm isn’t weak, he doesn’t have that fastball that Eli has to thread the needle.

David has been the perfect Boilermaker, he has had ups and downs but has continued to learn and he grew the most last year under a competent coaching staff. David is a shorter quarterback, but that has never truly hurt him at Purdue. He does the better job of getting rid of the ball quickly.

Battle Outcome: Co-Starters Early, Eli takes the job middle of the season

I think that this competition may be so tight that we will get a similar split at the start of the season as we did last year with the two. I think by mid season, going into the heart of conference play, Sindelar will emerge as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season with Blough being a great back up option in case of injury.

Either way, I will be happy with the starter. They both bring unique qualities to the table and I am proud that they are both Boilermakers.