Aidan O'Connell had a storybook career at Purdue, going from a walk-on to one of the best quarterbacks in Boilermaker history.
Here's what you need to know about Aidan O'Connell's college career.
The vitals on Aidan O'Connell
School: Purdue
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210 pounds
Years active: 2017-2022
Here are Aidan O'Connell’s career stats in college.
| YEAR | GAMES | COMP | ATT | COMP. % | PASS YDS | PASS TD | INT | RUSH ATT | RUSH YDS | RUSH TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6 | 103 | 164 | .63 | 1,101 | 8 | 4 | 15 | -9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 88 | 136 | .65 | 916 | 7 | 2 | 12 | -64 | 0 |
| 2021 | 12 | 315 | 439 | .72 | 3,712 | 28 | 11 | 25 | -120 | 1 |
| 2022 | 12 | 320 | 499 | .64 | 3,490 | 22 | 13 | 43 | -81 | 1 |
| Career | 33 | 826 | 1,239 | .67 | 9,219 | 65 | 30 | 95 | -274 | 2 |
Aidan O'Connell absolutely showed out tonight for @BoilerFootball.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 31, 2021
Most Pass Yards by Big Ten Player in Bowl Game All-Time
546 << Curtis Painter (Purdue) Little Caesars 2007
534 << Aidan O’Connell (Purdue) Music City 2021
532 << Mike Kafka (NU) Outback 2010 pic.twitter.com/biHQe5S3F6
Where did Aidan O'Connell go to college?
Aidan O'Connell, a native of Long Grove, Illinois, attended Purdue as a walk-on player.
MORE: 17 of the best walk-ons in college football history
What kind of prospect was Aidan O'Connell in high school?
O'Connell was an unranked recruit after only starting one season at Adlai Stevenson High School. In his senior year, he completed 61.6 percent of his passes for a school-record 2,741 yards and a school-record 26 touchdowns. He chose to walk on at Purdue after only receiving a DII scholarship offer from Davenport University.
👀 COLLEGE CAREERS OF NFL STARS 🏈
2025 NFL Draft: Shedeur Sanders | Cam Ward | Jalen Milroe | Quinn Ewers | Kyle McCord | Jaxson Dart
2024 NFL Draft: Jayden Daniels | Xavier Worthy | Carson Steele
2023 NFL Draft QBs: Bryce Young | C.J. Stroud | Anthony Richardson |Will Levis | Aiden O'Connell
2023 NFL Draft WRs: Zay Flowers | Rashee Rice |Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Jordan Addison | Puka Nacua | Quentin Johnston
More 2023 NFL Draft: Bijan Robinson | Will Anderson Jr. | Jalen Carter | Jahmyr Gibbs
2022 NFL Draft: Kenny Pickett |Christian Watson | Aidan Hutchinson | Brock Purdy |
Malik Willis | Isiah Pacheco | Bailey Zappe | Skylar Thompson
2021 NFL Draft QBs: Trevor Lawrence | Trey Lance | Justin Fields | Mac Jones
2021 NFL Draft WRs: Ja'Marr Chase | DeVonta Smith | Nico Collins | Amon-Ra St. Brown
2020 NFL Draft: Joe Burrow | Tua Tagovailoa | Jordan Love | Tee Higgins | Jalen Hurts
2019 NFL Draft: Kyler Murray | Deebo Samuel | Gardner Minshew II | Miles Sanders |
A.J. Brown | Nick Bosa
2018 NFL Draft: Lamar Jackson | Saquon Barkley | Baker Mayfield | Josh Allen |
Darius Leonard | Fred Warner | Roquan Smith | Shaquem Griffin
2017 NFL Draft: Patrick Mahomes | Deshaun Watson | Christian McCaffrey | Cooper Kupp |
JuJu Smith-Schuster | Haason Reddick
2016 NFL Draft: Jared Goff | Carson Wentz | Jalen Ramsey | Chris Jones
2015 NFL Draft: Stefon Diggs
2014 NFL Draft: Aaron Donald | Odell Beckham Jr. | Khalil Mack | Jerick McKinnon | Jimmy Garoppolo
2013 NFL draft: Travis Kelce
More: Tom Brady | Jackie Robinson | Deion Sanders | Cam Newton | Matthew Stafford
Records set by Aidan O'Connell
Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by O'Connell in college:
Purdue Records
- 1st in career completion percentage (66.7%)
- 1st in career passing efficiency (141.8)
- 1st in career 500-yard passing games (2)
- 1st in single-season completion percentage (71.8 percent, 2021)
- 1st in single-season passing efficiency (158.8, 2021)
- 2nd in career 400-yard passing games (5)
- 2nd in career 300-yard passing games (14)
- 4th in career completions (826)
- 5th in career touchdown passes (65)
- 6th in career passing yards (9,219)
What awards did Aidan O'Connell win in college?
Here are the awards and honors O'Connell won in college:
- Burlsworth Trophy finalist (2022)
- Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist (2022)
- Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2022)
- Second Team All-Big Ten by Coaches and AP (2021, 2022)
- Second Team All-Big Ten by Media, PFF and Phil Steele (2021)
- Third Team All-Big Ten by Media and Phil Steele (2022)
UNDENIABLE.
— Mike🏁🏁☁️ (@mikeaveli24) August 25, 2023
The Ballad of Aidan O’Connell 👨🏻🏴☠️#RaiderNation #Purdue #MikeaveliSzn2 Ⓜ️ pic.twitter.com/fQdbnWt7Ql
