CHICAGO − If Charles Correa was still looking for confirmation that his transfer from UNLV to Purdue football a year ago was the right move, he got it at Big Ten Media Days.
As the junior linebacker was conducting interviews, sitting to his left were his parents, who raised Correa more than 4,000 miles away in Kuli’ou’ou, Hawaii.
Families of Purdue’s Big Ten Media Days attendees – Correa, receiver De’Nylon Morrissette and quarterback Ryan Browne – were invited guests courtesy of Purdue’s football program.
Each school is allotted six VIP passes for the event, this year at the Hilton Chicago. Those passes typically get bestowed to university representatives or donors. Head coach Barry Odom, setting a family-first culture in his second year leading the Boilermakers, wanted those closest to his players to get the behind-the-scenes access.
“They’re the reason I am here to begin with,” Correa said of having his parents by his side. “I owe them everything up to this point in my life, and for them to be able to experience all these cool things with me has been truly special.”
A stay in downtown Chicago included dinner at a seafood restaurant.
“My grandma, this is her first time in Chicago in 30 years,” Morrissette said. “This is the first time on a flight in however many years. She has probably never come to any of my games, so to see my grandma here is huge to me and my mom. She is my ride or die. She is going to ride everywhere with me.”
Odom’s college football journey began in 1996 as a linebacker for the Missouri Tigers.
While he’s spent three decades in the college game, he knows the timetable as a player is short.
It was part of the reason he wanted to invite the three Purdue player representatives’ families for a Chicago outing.
“You look at the moment in time that you get a chance to be a college player, how short that window is,” Odom said. “I want families to be able to experience every single thing that they can with them. So it was great Purdue allowed us to do that. … It’s just another example of what we’re trying to build with our program, and I know our players are excited that they got to experience it with their parents.”
It was a sentiment not lost on the players, who showed up to Big Ten Media Days dressed in tailored suits, but also at ease having those closest to them by their sides.
“I always say my favorite thing about Purdue, I love Purdue football, I love the university, but the people, and I’ve been through so many different coaches here, but the people at Purdue, the community, it’s like a family, and obviously they proved that by wanting us to have our families here,” Browne 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 players share Big Ten Media Days with their families
Reporting by Sam King, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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By Sam King, Lafayette Journal & Courier | USA TODAY Network
