Big Ten Football Top 150 Players: No. 115, Caleb TerBush, Purdue QB

No. 115: Caleb TerBush, No. 19, QB, Purdue
2011 Stats: 171-277 passing, 1,905 yards, 13 TDs, 6 INTs; 83 rushes, 219 yards, 1 TD

Strengths

For someone who wasn't really in the Boilermakers' immediate plans at quarterback last July, TerBush is a pretty decent quarterback. He's got some zip on his passes (which you'd hope from someone who's 6'5", 225 lbs), and that arm strength means Purdue can stretch secondaries horizontally and use all of the field in its routes. 

Weaknesses

TerBush isn't much more than serviceable as either a passer or a runner, and in terms of pure athleticism and throwing ability, he's probably not the best player on the team; that would be Miami transfer Robert Marve. If Marve had two healthy knees during his entire time in West Lafayette, he'd probably have been starting the entire time, and he'd definitely be gone by now; he's on his sixth year of eligibility.

So, with that in mind, this QB race isn't anywhere close to settled, and that doesn't even take into consideration the rehab progress of former starter Rob Henry.

2012 Prediction

The quarterback race in West Lafayette is wide open, but TerBush's team captain spot and cleaner track record of health would indicate that he's got the inside track here. Expect him to split time with at least one of the Robs in the early going and maybe even all season long if Purdue somehow gets a good platoon going (note: unlikely).

As for actual production, TerBush has the talent around him to improve on his 130.66 quarterback rating of 2011. With that in mind, if he gets the requisite amount of snaps to qualify for the conference leaders, expect TerBush to contend for getting into the upper echelon of starters in 2012, even if the depth situation pushes his actual attempts (and thus other stats) down.