Ryan Browne is Purdue football's quarterback, but who is next in line?

WEST LAFAYETTE ― A year ago, Purdue football‘s eventual starting quarterback wasn’t even in the program.

When Ryan Browne returned to the Boilermakers after a hiatus, transferring to North Carolina only to transfer back after the spring semester, he eventually won the starting job.

Now, Purdue has no questions who its starting quarterback is for 2026. But the Boilermakers have a four-player logjam behind Browne trying to determine a pecking order.

“I’ve been in seasons where your fourth game of the year, you’re playing with your third guy and you have to go win,” quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw said. “We’re getting everybody prepared to go win football games for us in that room.”

Malachi Singleton transferred to Appalachian State, but Bennett Meredith, Evans Chuba and Garyt Odom all return. The Boilermakers signed Corin Berry in its 2026 high school class.

“The really good thing is how close we all got through last year,” Browne said. “That’s so rare in college football to have our room is everybody back from last year plus a freshman. That’s really rare. It’s really helpful talking with guys on the field, on the sideline, talking with guys you have personal connections with.”

More: Purdue football shows importance of roster retention as spring begins

Browne isn’t just the most experienced quarterback on the roster; he’s about the only one with in-game experience.

Meredith started one game in 2023 at Northwestern, alternating series with Browne in place of then-injured starter Hudson Card. Meredith was 5 of 7 for 36 yards. No other quarterback on Purdue’s roster has so much as taken a kneel down in a college game.

Chuba and Meredith were said to be in competition for the starting spot last spring and fall before Browne was tabbed for the role. Chuba has a higher ceiling with more potential to make big plays, while Meredith, entering his fourth season at Purdue after transferring from Arizona State, played more mistake free football during sessions media members were permitted to view last spring and fall.

Hinshaw hopes to have a depth chart solidified by the end of spring practice, he said after Tuesday’s first of 15, culminating with the April 11 Spring Showcase at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Browne took all the reps with the perceived first-team offense on Tuesday, but others alternated with different roster machinations.

“I want to leave spring ball with a No. 2 and a No. 3 and, again, guys we can win with,” Hinshaw said.

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: Purdue football’s QB depth chart competition taking shape in spring