Chubba Purdy is gearing up to make his Nevada football debut in the coming weeks. The former Nebraska quarterback has been cleared to start throwing in practice, as he’s been dealing with a shoulder issue, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Purdy is expected to be available for Nevada’s Sept 7 game against Georgia Southern and be “full go” by the Minnesota game on Sept. 14.

Purdy, who's the brother of San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy, completed 31-of-57 passes for 382 yards and two touchdowns in six appearances for Nebraska in 2023. In January, he decommitted from San Jose State for an opportunity to start at Nevada football. The latter now seems imminent.

Junior QB Brendon Lewis initially won the starting job ahead of the Wolf Pack's Week 0 matchup against SMU, which resulted in a 29-24 loss. Lewis gave a quality performance in his first start of the season, completing 14-of-26 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

He also led Nevada on the ground, racking up 18 carries for 77 yards. Despite Lewis' best efforts, it appears that the QB1 job isn't completely set in stone.

Head coach Jeff Choate will likely continue ‘looking' at Purdy, and allow the competition for the starting job to flow into the regular season.

Article Continues Below

After starting his college career at Florida St., and playing the last two seasons at Nebraska, Purdy is trying to finish his career strong in Nevada. Injuries have clearly held him back, but his main goal for the 2024-25 campaign is to stay healthy. We'll see what happens after a few good practices.

Purdy could take snaps in Nevada football vs. Georgia Southern game

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Chubba Purdy (12) looks to pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium.
Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

“This is my third school, and I've dealt with an injury every year, so that's just not fun,” Purdy told NSN's Chris Murray. “But just with my faith, that helps me stay grounded. Just keep working. Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough troubles of its own. Just be where my feet are at. I'll just keep sticking it out, my fifth year. I'm going to keep grinding and just have fun with these guys.

Purdy has to work on his control and accuracy. He tossed three interceptions in his handful of games last season, which equates to one turnover in at least half of the time that he took the field. However, he's as experienced as anyone on the Wolf Pack depth chart, and it could work in his favor the more reps he sees in the Nevada offense.