What Will Heldt has been doing to start fall camp in West Lafayette is that of something out of this world, or at least that's how his coaches have described the sophom*ore rush end's performance thus far.
"Will has kind of turned into a monster right now."
"He's the Terminator out there, man."
Defensive coordinator Kevin Kane and rush ends coach Joe Dineen marveled as Heldt's emergence off the edge for the Boilermakers early in fall camp, as the rising talent continues to put the pieces together for what could be a breakout 2024 campaign.
The measurables speak for themselves. A 6-foot-6 and 265-pound frame makes him a seamless fit in the Purdue defense, which he's filled out thanks in part to Kiero Small and the strength and conditioning staff.
But it is instincts and growth in the mental aspect of the game that has allowed Heldt to take a step forward heading into year two in West Lafayette.
"He's rushing at a high level," Dineen said. "He just disrupted man. He's really smart, so he's going to pick up on little cues the offense gives him. He can rush with speed, he can rush with power and he just knows where to be. He just seems to be in the right spot at the right time, and that's credit to him, and how he attacks the game from the mental side."
Heldt acknowledged his increased comfortability within Purdue's Air Strike defense allowing him to use his physical traits to his advantage and play freely.
"Just being in my second year in the scheme, I feel like I have a much better feel for what's going on. So being able to use that, attack, and just using my abilities, my length, my speed to win," Heldt said.
Part of that comfort stems from Heldt's experience as a true freshman in 2023, where he played in 11 games and tallied 12 tackles, including a tackle for loss. Despite being slotted behind Nic Scourton and Kydran Jenkins on the depth chart a year ago, Heldt gained valuable snaps that will benefit him as he steps into a starting role this fall.
"I think it's huge cause the first time you run out of the tunnel, you know all the crowd in the stands, it's a bit intimidating. So, I think coming out this year I think that pressure is a little bit off. I know what I'm getting into. Just go out there, play loose, have fun," Heldt said.
With Scourton now at Texas A&M and Jenkins moving to middle linebacker, the top rush end spot is up for grabs in Joe Dineen's unit, which has seemingly been taken by the sophom*ore standout.
Along with making strides on the field, Heldt has also stepped up as a leader, being the lone returning player in the group for the Boilermakers.
"I would say, like, as the only guy returning in my room from last year, I feel a little bit of a responsibility to lead. Bring that pass rush that we had from the previous years, and keep the standard the standard," Heldt said.
With higher expectations typically comes more pressure, but that couldn't be further from the truth for Heldt. Joe Dineen has seen what he's capable of and believes the production lost from the group will be picked up by Heldt and a new cast of edge rushers.
"There's no pressure. I think he realizes what he has to do and what he wants to do. I just encourage man, to go out, play his game and do the best that he can. I think the numbers at that point will speak for themselves," Dineen said.
Heldt headlines a revamped group that hit the transfer portal hard in the off-season, bringing in CJ Madden (Georgia), sh*tta Sillah (Boston College), Jireh Ojata (Franklin College) and Calvin Smith (Illinois).
Despite 17.5 sacks now gone, Dineen and Kevin Kane both view this new version of Purdue's pass rush as a deeper unit that can still get to the quarterback consistently, with Heldt leading the charge.
"We've got four or five guys up there that have the ability to go win. Now you got five or six one-on-ones," Kane said. "I do feel like overall, as as a pass rushing unit, we are better. We are better on the interior, we're better on the edge as a collective unit. So I think it's going to be a fun year for that."
"I don't think you can compare last year to this year. If we go out and do what we're supposed to do, rush at a high level, the numbers will come. And the rush complimented with the coverage, I think is gonna help these guys quite a bit," Dineen said.
