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Seeing avery large man rumbling through defenses wearing the No. 40 jersey brings a lot of happy memories for Purdue fans. That’s why today’s player is so exciting.
Zander Horvath - So.
Mishawaka, IN (Marian HS)
6’3”, 230 pounds
Running Back
2019 Projection: Contributor at Running Back
Seeing No. 40 lining up in the offensive backfield is always going to draw comparisons to Alstott, but Alexander Horvath is actually BIGGER than Alstott. According to Alstott’s football reference page, he was 6’1” 247 as an NFL player. Horvath is two inches taller and Purdue lists him at 230, but that was last year.
Last year Horvath made his presence known as a redshirt freshman walk-on and earned some playing time as a fullback and running back. He played in all 13 games and even had three special teams tackles. He also saw some time in the backfield with 9 carries for 42 yards and 4 receptions for 38 yards. He also found the end zone in garbage time with his first career touchdown at Illinois.
Horvath is going to be part of the offense in 2019, and is technically one of the to returning running backs with Richie Worship and Tario Fuller. Giving him the ball running downhill is a good idea, and we will see it more than once this year.