Da’Joun Hewitt Enters Transfer Portal

Who needs running back depth?

On the surface they may not seem like much. In two seasons at Purdue Hewitt had six carries for 9 yards and a single reception for four yards. This was across six games, but he was still technically a redshirt freshman because of barely playing in 2019 and last year’s COVID rules.

It is the depth that was a concern. After four-star Trek Murphy left and weight room champion Alfred Armour departed Purdue was down to five running backs on the entire roster before Hewitt’s departure. We now have the following:

Zander Horvath - Ran for 453 yards and 2 TDs in last year’s limited season, so over a full year could have been a 1,000 yard back if you extrapolate.

King Doerue - 2019’s leading rusher. A versatile back with more than 750 yards from scrimmage and 8 TDs in his career.

Dylan Downing - A local prospect from Carmel that was at UNLV before transferring in. He had 16 yards from scrimmage last year.

Henry Lewis - A walk-on from Fishers.

Ja’Quez Cross was recruited as a receiver at Purdue, but he comes in as a decent running back. Given the depth at receiver and razor thin margins at running back one would think he almost certainly moves to running back.

Needless to say I have serious concerns about Brohm entering this season and all he momentum he had in 2018 is gone.