Who would have thought that the two most prominent quarterbacks in Louisiana right now both once started at Purdue?

An hour from New Orleans, where ex-Purdue star Drew Brees is the face of the NFL’s Saints, Boilermakers castoff Danny Etling is now settling in as LSU’s new starter after an effective first start (19-for-30, 215 yards) in the Tigers’ 23-20 win over Mississippi State.

And while it’s Auburn week for LSU, the previous weekend produced an interesting tidbit that continues the Purdue theme. While Etling was getting his first LSU start two years after losing his starting job at Purdue to Austin Appleby, Appleby will be Florida’s starter after Luke Del Rio was injured in the Gators’ win over North Texas.

Appleby lost his starting job last season and opted to transfer and was immediately eligible for the Gators.

LSU coach Les Miles noted that a matchup of former Purdue teammates was “unusual,” but added that there have been good quarterbacks from Purdue before noting “a guy named (Bob) Griese.”

And while he forgot Brees, it was a point well-taken. How Etling got to LSU was definitely a story from the 21st century, and not from Griese’s day in the ’70s. Miles said Etling reached out to LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, a family acquaintance and fellow Terre Haute, Ind. native.

“Apparently, Danny just wanted to have another experience, and we certainly felt like he was a guy who was ready to compete at the very highest level,” Miles said. “I think he contacted Cam and at some point in time decided that they were transferring, and it absolutely fed us. We were very pleased and certainly more so now.”

Miles spoke of Etling on the SEC coaches’ media teleconference on Wednesday morning, beginning a session where the theme seemed to be guys from other places.

Miles also addressed:

  • Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, who had the same job last year at LSU: “He’s always run a quality defense. He’s very organized. He was a great coordinator for us.
  • LSU wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig, a former Auburn quarterback and quarterbacks coach last season: “He really loves the place (Auburn). He really enjoyed his time there, has great friends.” He also noted that, as a former quarterback and QBs coach, Craig “makes the route combinations come to life” for LSU’s receivers through his ability to communicate to the receivers what the quarterback is looking for.

While the theme seemed to be guys who came to their team from other schools, a couple of first-year players, both from junior colleges, weren’t discussed but could be factors on Saturday.

For LSU, it’s nose tackle Travonte Valentine, who provides an anchor on his team’s defensive line against an Auburn running attack that leads the SEC in yards per game (261.7).

For Auburn, it’s quarterback John Franklin III, who will not start — head coach Gus Malzahn has already announced that Sean White will start again — but could play a key role off the Tigers’ bench. Franklin sparked the Auburn offense late last week.

Another quarterback that was discussed was LSU’s Brandon Harris, who lost his starting job to Etling in Week 2 but remains focused and preparing to play, according to Miles.

“He’s continued to work hard, to learn, to prepare and to do the things that we’ll need him to do at quarterback, preparing as a starter in a backup position,” Miles said. “He still has a tremendous skill set, and we’re watching him improve. We enjoy the fact that he’s taken the opportunity to improve his skills and work harder instead of in another direction.”