As former Texas A&M and LSU quarterback Max Johnson recovered from a broken leg, the QB battle at UNC opened up for their QBs Ryan Browne and Bryce Baker in the spring practice. Brown had transferred in from Purdue in the winter and was coming in to become the QB1. However, despite Browne and Baker being there, the new head coach, Bill Belichick, brought in Gio Lopez from South Alabama. That transfer did less for finalizing the QB battle at the Tar Heels (it’s still open now). But it sure presented Browne with an opportunity. Not at UNC, but at familiar territory for the Boilermakers.

When Browne returned to Purdue in the spring, the QB battle featured another three contenders. Washington State transfer Evans Chuba, Arkansas transfer Malachi Singleton, and redshirt junior Bennett Meredith. But it didn’t take Ryan Browne long to become the frontrunner. Now, less than 10 days before their opener, Barry Odom has announced that Browne will be his QB1 for the 2025 season.

For a program coming off a 1-11 season, the QB1 battle was always going to be intriguing. You want to have a guy who can lead you out of the rut. Fortunately for Odom, Browne started showing that leadership way before he became one of the four contenders. Last season, when Ryan Browne featured for Purdue after Hudson Card’s injury, the coaching staff took notice of how his teammates respected the young quarterback. That helped him grow into his role despite being a backup.

So, when it came to practices this pre-season, Ryan Browne behaved like a leader despite not yet having been given the QB1 nod. In an interview 3 days ago with the IndyStar, Purdue’s defensive lineman was asked a simple question regarding which QB gives the team the best mobility. Without any hesitation, Harkless replied, “Oh, Ryan,” and praised the QB’s quality. “Ryan Browne. I mean, that’s my QB1. He’s fast. If you beat the O-lineman, try to get to him; he’s going to roll out, and you’ve got to chase him. He’s a problem.” 

Ryan Browne has been a Boilermaker ever since his career started in college football (except for the short 4-month offseason stint with UNC) and was also reliable, passing for 532 yards and rushing for another 155. Of course, the season was undoubtedly a disaster, with just a single win coming against Indiana State. Still, his showing in a close game like Illinois (50-49), where he passed 297 yards, makes a solid case for him. Now add to that? Browne’s fall camp performances!!

Expectations for Ryan Browne after becoming Purdue’s QB1

According to the recent reports, Barry Odom will hold two more training camps on Monday and Tuesday as ‘game week practices’ that will be followed by one more practice before facing Ball State on August 30. Meanwhile, Browne is impressing coaches, as he took most of the snaps at Monday’s practice while other QBs rotated with other groups (per IndyStar).

This was in contrast to the majority of the camp, where QBs Malachi Singleton, Bennett Meredith, and Evans Chuba, apart from Browne, rotated with 4 different offensive units. However, now that Browne has been named the starter, all the expectations fall on him, and according to Purdue’s QBs coach, Darin Hinshaw, it’s going to be intense for him.

“When you get in play 100, it’s different than play seven. Same thing in a game. We had 150 to 160 snaps in the game. When it starts to get into the third, fourth quarter, we have to be able to lead. The competition has been fierce. It’s been very, very good. It’s been healthy. We’ve been united in that room. … That culture has been built,” Hinshaw said about the QB competition and what he expects from his QB1. The verdict?

Standing at 6’4″ and 210 lbs, Browne is your typical dual-threat QB that has evolved into a more consistent and accurate passer. Sure, the prior experience hasn’t been quite illustrious at the collegiate level. But if his high school tenure is any reference for us, being named Florida’s 8A player of the year and leading his high school to a 14-1 record? Sure, the sky is the limit for him, and the journey that started in New Berlin, N.Y., being a modest 3-star recruit, will surely be remarkable if he finally leads Purdue to a winning season.