Purdue made a splash in the NCAA transfer portal this week, landing former UCLA quarterback Austin Burton. The former Bruin will add depth to a quarterback room in West Lafayette that lacks numbers and experience.

Former Bruins head coach Jim Mora was excited about the move for Jeff Brohm and the Boilermakers.

“Big time move for [Austin Burton] and [Purdue],” Mora wrote on Twitter shortly after the announcement. “This kid is a player; smart, poised, leader, high FB IQ, good decision maker, can spin it, tough, teammates love him.”

All of those qualities are the reason why Mora recruited Burton why he was still the head coach at UCLA. But with the change in coaching staff with the program and the inability to win the starting job, Burton decided it was in his best interest to move on with his career.

Burton now heads to Purdue, which had essentially a two-man quarterback battle in place this spring. Jack Plummer and Aidan O’Connell were expected to fight for the top spot on the depth chart for the 2020 season, but Burton will step right into that competition.

Burton is expected to graduate from UCLA in July, making him a graduate transfer student-athlete. That status will allow Burton to have immediate eligibility with the Boilermakers and he’ll have two years to play once he arrives in West Lafayette.

While at UCLA, Burton played in six games and completed 44-of-64 passes for 365 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He also rushed for 100 yards and a score on 23 carries.