WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football’s entire starting offensive line from last season is gone, whether via transfer portal, eligibility exhaustion or NFL draft entry.
The Boilermakers have a new man in charge of the offensive front, too.
Vance Vice is a college football veteran with 35 years experience, the last two alongside Barry Odom at UNLV where the Rebels ranked fifth in rushing touchdowns and seventh in rushing yards during Vice’s time in Las Vegas.
Purdue’s most experienced returning offensive linemen are Bakyne Coly and Joey Tanona. Eleven other returnees saw little or no playing time last season.
Vice added four transfer portal hauls, including three he coached at UNLV in addition to Canadian Giordano Vaccaro.
More: Purdue football offensive coordinator Josh Henson, ‘We’ve got to be aggressive’
3 questions with Purdue football’s offensive line coach Vance Vice
Q: Are you happy with the number of offensive linemen currently on the roster or do you think you’ll have to go get more help in the spring transfer portal window?
A: We probably need three or four more guys just with how we practice. We’re going to use 20 guys to practice and right now we’ve got 17, so we will try to add to that. Obviously with the new limits on scholarships and numbers on the team, that’s an issue. It’s an ever-changing issue. It’s hard to manage the number because it’s so fluid right now.
Q: What can you tell us about the offensive linemen that have followed you from UNLV to Purdue?
A: Jalen St. John, also known as Chop, he received some all-conference honors last year (and has) two years starting for me. … He’s been a valuable leader being an old head and being able to tell others where the landmines are. … And then I brought Hank Purvis and Mason Vicari. They were true freshmen last year. They didn’t start but they played quite a bit in some big packages. Those guys just bring it every day, the work ethic, the mindset, great students in the classroom. They just take care of business and obviously want a chance to play on a bigger level.
Q: You got Giordano Vaccaro out of the portal from Canada. What do you like about his skillset and how do you see that translating against better competition?
A: I probably look at 4-5,000 (potential high school and transfer portal targets) a year. He jumps out. His film jumps out at you. He tries to maul people. That kind of excited everybody in the room when we were watching it. Then you meet him and he does everything. He’s a straight A student. He does everything in the weight room. He does everything in the meeting room. I can not wait to get him on the field.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: 3 questions with Purdue football offensive line coach Vance Vice
