37 Days to Purdue Football: Caleb Lahey & Jacob Wahlberg

Usually when we have a double player day it means one player is on offense and one is on defense since you cannot have the same number on the field at the same time. Both of today’s players are listed as linebackers, however.

Caleb Lahey - Fr. (RS)

Bismarck, IL (Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Allen)

5’10”, 205 pounds

Linebacker

2021 Projection: Reserve

Lahey was officially a walk-on last season that did not play and was a redshirt. In high school in Illinois he was a two-way player though, playing both linebacker and running back. His school was really small, as it is a 2A school with only about 400 kids. He still ran for 1,321 yada and 22 touchdowns as a senior. In his final three years of high school he totals 4,887 rushing yards and 70 TDs.

Officially, the Purdue roster lists him as a linebacker, but given Purdue’s lack of running backs a switch could be possible. Last year he was listed as a running back so it is entirely possible the LB on the official site is an error.

Jacob Wahlberg - So.

Muskegon, MI (Mona Shores HS)

6’4”, 235 pounds

Linebacker

2021 Projection: Reserve

Wahlberg is another player who has seen the field a little so far. He played in four games in 2019, not amassing any stats, then did not play at all last year. He had initially committed to nearby Western Michigan, but flipped to Purdue as part of the 2019 class.