Purdue football suffers potentially significant injury during Saturday’s scrimmage

• George Burhenn is a third-year tight end projected as a likely Purdue starter this season.
• Burhenn showed promise two a two-TD game against Indiana as a freshman, but injuries limited him to four game last season.

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football’s rebuilding offense may be dealing with a major dose of adversity before the end of the spring.

Third-year right end George Burhenn suffered what appeared to be a significant lower right leg injury on the first play of Saturday’s scrimmage inside the Mollenkopf Athletic Center. Purdue coach Barry Odom said immediately after practice he did not have additional information on the severity of the injury.

Burhenn suffered the injury while going up for a pass. It appeared an air cast was applied to his lower leg and he was carted off the field.

Burhenn was visibly and understandably emotional. He and Max Klare projected to form a productive tight end duo last season. However, Burhenn played only four games due to injuries.

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Purdue held a full practice worth of scrimmage periods Saturday. It will hold four practices next week, culminating with the spring showcase at Ross-Ade Stadium April 12.

Burhenn had been one of the more consistent performers during spring camp. Earlier this week, he was splitting out wide in some two tight end sets.

“He’s really one of the best tight ends I’ve ever played with,” quarterback EJ Colson said earlier this week. “It’s insane how athletic he is, how quick he moves.”

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Burhenn showed his promise as a true freshman with a two-touchdown performance in the regular-season finale against Indiana. The winner of Purdue’s ongoing quarterback competition could look forward to utilizing him as a trusted receiving threat.

Purdue did bring in multiple tight ends via the transfer portal in December. Among Christian Moore and Christian Earls (both UNLV) and Luca Puccinelli (Wake Forest), however, none has more than a handful of career receptions.

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