The succession plan is in place. Joe Tiller is set to begin his final season in West Lafayette and Danny Hope has already been brought on staff as his successor to ease any gap in recruiting. For the man who turned around Purdue football, though, Tiller's final season could be a struggle.

Purdue returns six starters on each side of the ball and is without a number of playmakers on offense. That's never a good sign for a team built on the spread and its ability to make big plays.

This spring was a struggle just to stay healthy. A rash of minor, nagging injuries (none considered serious) left the coaches to mix and match lineups throughout the spring. By the time it was over, Tiller barely had any semblance of a depth chart heading into the fall.

"I don't view it as a negative," he said, "but it's what I would describe as an unsettled spring."

"Unsettled" could be a good word used to describe a team that loses four of its top five pass catchers, all three linebackers and its biggest playmaker on the defensive line in Cliff Avril. The incoming recruiting class didn't wow anyone, either, leaving Purdue looking like a very ordinary team as fall approaches.

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