With Big Ten media days fast approaching and fall camp slated to open shortly thereafter, the 2024 college football season is right around the corner. In year two of the Luke Fickell era, Wisconsin has further revamped its roster but faces a daunting schedule littered with marquee matchups.

Throughout July, BadgerBlitz.com will break down each game on Wisconsin's slate. We'll continue with Purdue, a team the Badgers have enjoyed thorough dominance over this century.

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All things considered, this is a pretty critical year for Purdue football. Expectations aren't exactly through the roof, but the Boilermakers need to improve on their dismal 4-8 campaign in Ryan Walters' first year as head coach. As Walters tries to reimagine the program, he'll need to display tangible improvement in 2024 or his seat will start to sizzle.

Things got off on the wrong foot last season when Purdue dropped its opener to Fresno State at home. That was a sign of things to come. The Boilermakers beat Virginia Tech, Illinois, Minnesota and hated rival Indiana, but lost every other game, not even sniffing bowl eligibility.

Before Walters took over, Jeff Brohm appeared to have the program trending upwards. In 2021, he coached Purdue to a 9-4 season, getting the Boilermakers ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time in 14 years. The following season, Purdue went 8-6 but Brohm left for Louisville.

Now, Walters must continue to build this program from the ground up. Purdue only returns 51 percent of its production per ESPN, however, so there's still plenty to work out on the field.

The Boilermakers do return several key pieces, including their starting quarterback, running back and breakout true freshman safety Dillon Thieneman. But at least on paper, this is a roster that still lacks the talent to compete at the highest level of the Big Ten.

Finally, it's worth mentioning Wisconsin's winning streak against Purdue. The Badgers have won 17 straight and haven't lost since 2003.

Purdue's offense returns some critical pieces and loses several others. As mentioned, the Boilermakers return their starting quarterback from last season, Hudson Card. The ex-Texas Longhorn was solid if not spectacular, tossing for 2,387 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 58.9 percent of his passes. Ultimately, Card's level of play needs to resemble the last two games of the 2023 season — when he threw for 526 yards, 6 touchdowns, no interceptions and completed 64.4 percent of his passes — on a more consistent basis.

That'll be easier said than done, however, as Purdue has plenty of production to replace on offense, particularly at pass-catcher. Statistically speaking, the Boilermakers lost their top six receivers. That's a staggering number. Perhaps the most notable departure is Deion Burks, the electrifyingly shifty receiver who transferred to Oklahoma. Purdue also lost its top two tight ends and essentially all of its production at receiver. With the ever-looming transfer portal and the NIL boom, this is the reality of college football, and the Boilermakers reeled in plenty of transfers of their own.

At receiver, Purdue managed to lure three new pass catchers to West Lafayette: Kam Brown (UCLA), De'Nylon Morrissette (Georgia) and C.J. Smith (Georgia). It also added four offensive lineman, two of whom appear set to start in left tackle Corey Stewart (Ball State) and right guard DJ Wingfield (New Mexico). The eighth and final transfer on offense was halfback Reggie Love II, who spent three seasons at Illinois and is coming off a career year.

There's plenty of new faces on this Purdue offense, but its backfield remains the same with Card and tailback Devin Mockobee. The bruising ball-carrier has quietly piled up 1,775 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 454 yards as a receiver in two seasons as a Boilermaker. In Mockobee and Love, Purdue has two very capable halfbacks to rely on.

Purdue's offense lost a lot of talent but brought plenty in as well. Ultimately, the leap — or lack thereof — that Card takes in year two as a Boilermaker will be the biggest X-factor for this unit.

Walters, formerly the defensive coordinator at Illinois, has some issues to correct on that side of the ball. Purdue's defense wasn't atrocious last fall, but it wasn't exactly good either. It ranked 99th in scoring defense, and allowed the likes of Fresno State, Syracuse and Indiana to score 39, 35 and 31 points, respectively.

The biggest story is likely the secondary. Purdue's pass defense was porous, and it added several transfers who figure to see significant snaps. Georgia transfer Nyland Green is an especially interesting piece who could be in line to start at field cornerback.

Still, there's talent to be had on this defense, namely the safety Thieneman. He had one of the more impressive true freshman seasons for a Big Ten defender in recent memory, racking up 106 tackles to easily pace the Boilermakers' defense in that department. Throw in six interceptions and two forced fumbles, and Thieneman is already one of the better safeties in the sport.

Another name to keep an eye on is Yanni Karlaftis, the younger brother of George Karlaftis, the current Chiefs defensive end and former dominant defender for the Boilermakers. Yanni, a junior, plays linebacker rather than edge rusher, and was one of Purdue's better defenders last season with 55 tackles and 2.5 sacks. If he can take a leap in the same way his brother did, he'll be a problem in the front seven.

Thieneman didn't do much against the Badgers in Week 4 last season. He logged six tackles, but also missed two, according to Pro Football Focus. Nonetheless, Thieneman is the kind of defensive back that can't help but catch your eye.

Unlike Wisconsin's star safety Hunter Wohler, Thieneman doesn't move around the formation nearly as much. He lined up as a free safety about 80 percent of the time, per numbers from PFF. Still, he manages to impact the game on every level, and his tackling numbers are even more impressive considering he tends to line up way off the line of scrimmage.

If Purdue's defense forces some sort of massive turnover or a similarly back-breaking play for the Badgers, there's an excellent chance Thieneman will be the culprit.

We spoke to Dub Jellison of BoilerUpload to get the inside scoop on Purdue:

1. If Ryan Walters has another disappointing season, just how hot will his seat be in West Lafayette?

If Purdue were to have another down season in 2024, Ryan Walters’ seat could start to warm up, but enough for it to be a legitimate threat to his job security? I find that highly unlikely. Rebuilding the roster through the recruiting trail is a large reason for that security beyond 2024.

2. Purdue lost many of its top pass-catchers to the portal. Which of their replacements look like the most capable?

Purdue has just one returning receiver that got significant playing time last season in Jayden Dixon-Veal, but with those holes come opportunity. The top two candidates to be go-to options for Hudson Card are Jahmal Edrine and CJ Smith. Edrine missed all of 2023 due to a torn ACL after coming over from FAU, where he had a strong redshirt freshman campaign. Smith transferred in from Georgia this off-season and has impressed thus far. Other transfers, such as DeNylon Morrissette (Georgia) and Kam Brown (UCLA), will also factor into the rotation. Two sleepers at receiver are redshirt freshman Jaron Tibbs and JUCO product Leland Smith. Both offer intriguing options on the outside as well.

3. What are the expectations for Hudson Card in year two as a Boilermaker?

Last season, Purdue treated Card’s debut campaign in West Lafayette as his “freshman” year, coinciding with his first full season as a starter. With a new-look receiving corps and improved offensive line, at least on paper, Card should have the tools to produce as he did at the end of last season against Minnesota and Indiana. Those are the types of performances that Purdue will come to expect out of Card on a more regular basis in 2024.

4. Who or what is the biggest X-factor on the team?

The biggest X-factor for Purdue in 2024 is undoubtedly the secondary. The group struggled last season, allowing too many big plays through the air and have some new pieces entering the mix. Transfers Nyland Green (Georgia) and Kyndrich Breedlove (Colorado) are both slated to start, as well as fifth-year senior Antonio Stevens on the back end. Dillon Thieneman remains Purdue’s top talent on the defensive side of the ball, it will be a matter of how the new starters perform around him.

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