Slices of Tuna: Why this year feels different for Purdue
Barry Odom survived an unlucky Year 1; why that matters in 2026, especially at QB. Plus, an odd basketball move, and an electric EA Sports trailer.
Happy National Donut Day!
And go Knicks.
1. Why Barry Odom believes in Ryan Browne
Just half of the Big Ten’s 2025 starting quarterbacks return for 2026.
Purdue, which went 2-10 last season, has one of those nine signal callers.
Yet Barry Odom believes that Ryan Browne has the potential to flash this season, given the third-year junior’s experience and the influx of talent at the skill positions that the Boilermakers amassed this offseason.
“I think you look at, I think, number one, he did some really good things last year,” Odom told The Inside Zone. “Certainly he made some mistakes, but also surround him with 10 guys that are going to do their job every single play, be accountable to that. Make improvements in the guys that are returning and then the guys that we recruited here, it’s going to make his job as a quarterback a lot easier when you got more dependable, accountable players around him.
“So I think that number one, we’ll see an improvement there, it’s going to make his job a little bit easier. He has poured into what it takes to be a really good quarterback.”
