Redshirt junior admits he might have returned too soon after undergoing ACL surgery nearly one year ago

2018 Purdue football season

Mike Carmin | Journal & Courier

The Kentucky native also played against Eastern Michigan but has missed the last 10 games

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — We haven’t seen – or heard from - Elijah Sindelar since the Purdue quarterback was directing the offense in the rain against Eastern Michigan at Ross-Ade Stadium.

That was Sept. 8, the Boilermakers’ second straight loss to start the season.

Over the last 10 games, the redshirt junior hasn’t played. He’s been at practice. He’s been on the sidelines each Saturday. He helps starter David Blough. He’ll go through his regular warmup routine and stay loose during breaks. He was available in an emergency if Blough suffered an injury and was unable to continue.

Frank Oliver for the Journal & Courier,

Sindelar is ready and eager to play. Just not right now.

The combination of an upper-body injury suffered the week of the Missouri game and tendinitis in his surgically repaired left knee has kept him out of action.

However, there might be good news. The Kentucky native could be in a position to obtain an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA if he doesn’t play in the upcoming bowl game against Auburn.

“It was unfortunate but it’s turning out to be better than I hoped for, I guess, because I have the potential to get this season back with the medical redshirt and it would give me two years to play without having knee problems and I’ll be able to get my master’s,” Sindelar said Wednesday during an interview with the Journal & Courier.

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“I see it working out for me, even though I haven’t been able to play much this season, which has been difficult. Getting to play another two years is rather appealing.”

The electrical engineering major, who will graduate in the spring, started the season opener against Northwestern after winning the battle with Blough during training camp. He came in off the bench against Eastern Michigan but couldn’t help the Boilermakers avoid an embarrassing loss.

The NCAA allows athletes five calendar years to play four seasons. Sindelar redshirted in 2015 and this is his third season of competition. The NCAA doesn't grant a sixth year without proof the players lost two seasons of competition because of reasons out of their control, including injury and illness.

The idea of the additional season wasn’t brought up until the week of the Wisconsin game in November. Sindelar was still willing to play if Blough was injured, even that late in the season, to help the Boilermakers reach a bowl game, despite his knee issues.

Although the upper body injury – Sindelar declined to disclose the nature of the injury – played a role in his absence, the tendinitis was the main factor.

John Terhune/Journal & Courier,

When training camp started in August, the 2014 Kentucky Mr. Football was roughly eight months removed from surgery. He played the final 3 ½ games in 2017 with a torn ACL, leading the Boilermakers to three straight wins, including the bowl game against Arizona where he was named the offensive MVP.

In the offseason, Sindelar didn't participate in spring practice but began competing with Blough for the starting job in the summer prior to camp starting. Both were coming off injuries and were eager to take over the No. 1 spot for the season opener.

In retrospect, Sindelar may have attempted to come back too soon.

“I think so. We tried to push it a little bit too hard,” said Sindelar, who completed 26 of 44 passes for 283 yards in the first two games.

The tendinitis began flaring up on the second day of camp. Athletic trainers and doctors have attempted to minimize the pain with a series of rehabilitation exercises and treatments since camp. Those same exercises remain part of Sindelar’s daily routine.

Throughout camp and the first two games, Sindelar realized this season would be a difficult one from a health standpoint.

“It was going to be a grind the whole season,” he said. “(The tendinitis) would flare up after the game and we tried to get it all the way back down before the next game, but it would flare up again.”

During Purdue’s first bowl practice last Thursday, Sindelar showcased a live arm. His passes had a ton of zip, his deep throws featured tight spirals and arrived at their targets quickly. No one should question his arm strength, which is NFL-caliber.

Whatever upper-body injury was ailing Sindelar, it didn’t show up on this day.

“I’m starting to feel better, I’m starting to have more velocity back on my ball again and it’s starting to become pretty close to where I feel comfortable being out there and performing well,” he said.

John Terhune/Journal & Courier,

When asked about Sindelar’s performance in the practice following Sunday’s banquet, coach Jeff Brohm cracked a brief smile. He clearly enjoyed what he watched.

“He wants to get back out there and we’re looking forward to getting him back on the field,” Brohm said. “I think he’s a very good quarterback and I think he’ll win a lot of games for us.”

The question – will that be limited to 2019 or will Sindelar receive more opportunities in 2020, his potential extra season?

“I’m just really excited for this next year coming up and the year after that if I get my sixth year, which isn’t a certainty, but it is a possibility and we’ll be looking into for sure. It would be something I would like to do,” Sindelar said.

The bigger issue remains his knee and being able to function at 100 percent without discomfort. Sindelar’s knee and the muscles around the patella need to be properly warmed up and that’s where he encountered trouble in camp and earlier in the season.

Sindelar said the team’s athletic trainers now use cross friction to entice blood flow and create more mobility around his kneecap. It takes about 15 minutes.

“If I don’t do it, I do notice a difference,” he said.

Although Sindelar was bothered by the tendinitis against Northwestern, it wasn’t the reason he was ineffective. He threw three first-half interceptions before being replaced by Blough.

“I’m not going to make any excuses. It was my fault for the decisions I made but I will say sometimes when my patella starts flaring up and I can feel it and I know I can’t run as much as I want to – because it makes it hard to bend and straighten when you have patella tendinitis,” he said.

Nathan Baird, jconline.com

“In some of the plays where I had an opening to run I would throw it instead because I didn’t want to run in fear of my knees flaring up. That’s the only thing I didn’t like about my game but none of the throws I made that were interceptions had anything to do with that.”

Sindelar hopes his next opportunity to play doesn’t come until the spring and next season because that means Blough made it through the bowl game unscathed.

But this whole process has been another learning experience, similar to last year when he played with a torn ACL. From winning the starting job in August, sitting out the last 10 games and seeing his leadership role change, it’s been another interesting journey.

“It’s something I wasn’t happy about at the beginning – I’m not going to lie,” Sindelar said. “When I got hurt I was confused and I didn’t like it. Now we’ve made it through the season and looking back I can see what God was doing and how he was teaching me to be a better man, a better teammate and a better leader. I wouldn’t’ change anything.”

MUSIC CITY BOWL

Dec. 28

Nissan Stadium (Nashville)

Purdue (6-6) vs. Auburn (7-5)

Time: 1:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN