Blog
‘Can’t Tell Players Without A Program’ Clearly Applies to College Football
If there were still such a thing as gameday programs, Purdue football fans would need one to figure out who is wearing the gold and black these days.
Name a Boilermaker other than running back Devin Mockobee who is expected to suit up this fall?
There have been 32 transfer portal entries from last season’s 1-11 roster, which recalls the story of future baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ralph Kiner’s contract negotiations with Pittsburgh general manager Branch Rickey during the 1950s.
“We finished in last place with you,” Rickey responded to Kiner’s demand for a raise. “We can finish in last place without you.”
Some losses did hurt Purdue more than others: safety Dillon Thieneman to Oregon, tight end Max Klare to Ohio State and defensive end Will Heldt to Clemson. Thieneman’s departure especially stung since he was the third member of his family to suit up for the Boilermakers.
Eight of the 31 transfers departed for schools that participated in this year’s College Football Playoff. In addition to Thieneman, Klare and Heldt, defensive backs Kyndrich Breedlove and Nyland Green chose Arizona State. SMU picked up Damarjhe Lewis and Jeffrey M’ba. Former Carmel star Cole Brevard is off to Texas.
New head coach Barry Odom is all too familiar with having to rebuild through the transfer portal and high school recruiting. In his two seasons at UNLV, Odom brought in 50 and 55 new players, respectively. The results were impressive: a 9-5 record and a share of the Mountain West title in his first season and a 10-3 mark in 2024. Two of those losses were to Playoff-bound Boise State.
With a second transfer portal period taking place April 16-25, don’t be surprised if Odom approaches 50 newcomers at Purdue. Second semester classes began Monday and Purdue football welcomed 29 transfers who will join six former UNLV recruits and five holdovers from former coach Ryan Walters’ final recruiting class.
Purdue’s transfer class is rated 12th in the Big Ten (Plus Eight) but before groaning, keep in mind that rankings aren’t always accurate. The Boilermakers’ 2024 transfer class was rated eighth, one slot behind Indiana. The only thing those two classes had in common was the number 11. That’s the number of victories earned by the Hoosiers and of course, the total losses suffered by the Boilermakers.
Here’s a guess at five potential impact transfers for Purdue.
Malachi Singleton
The former Arkansas quarterback was rated the fifth-best dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com coming out of high school. Singleton or fellow QB transfers EJ Colson (Central Florida) and Evans Chuba (Washington State) have to be good or else Odom’s rebuilding project will be delayed.
Malachi Thomas
The former Virginia Tech running back rushed for 1,132 yards and seven touchdowns in three-plus seasons. He could fill the role alongside Mockobee that propelled Tyrone Tracy Jr. to the NFL.
Tony Grimes
There’s a large void at cornerback and Grimes was one of the stars of UNLV’s defense that was ranked 49th in the nation.
Crew Wakely
Wakely started nine games at safety for BYU in 2024, recording two interceptions and a sack.
CJ Nunnally
A two-time Mid-American Conference first-team selection, Nunnally totaled 121 tackles and 13 sacks the past two seasons at Akron.
Most of the 29 transfers will probably have to be ready for the 2025 opener against Ball State on Aug. 30. Of those remaining from last season’s Purdue roster, here’s five who could make a difference.
George Burhenn
Injuries limited the promising tight end two just two games in 2024 but Burhenn flashed his talent in his freshman season. He caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown against Indiana in 2023.
Mo Omonode
The stout defensive tackle from West Lafayette has three and a half career sacks entering his senior season. With Brevard gone, expect more snaps for Omonode.
Joey Tanona
Opportunity awaits the former four-star offensive tackle from Zionsville. The entire offensive line from 2024 is either in the NFL Draft (Marcus Mbow, Gus Hartwig, Corey Stewart) or at a new home (Mahamane Moussa to Louisville and DJ Winfield to USC). Tanona showed promise after sitting out two seasons at Notre Dame due to a car accident.
Smiley Bradford
The freshman safety kept his redshirt with just three games played in 2024, but that brief glimpse showed why he was highly regarded coming out of East St. Louis.
Winston Berglund
The last man standing from the promising Carmel trio of Berglund, Brevard and Heldt, the redshirt sophomore could help fill a giant void at linebacker alongside transfers Alex Sanford (Arkansas), Carson Dean (Arkansas) and Mani Powell (UNLV).
Building an All-America case
While a second consecutive first-team All-Big Ten berth seems likely, the numbers Smith has been putting up cannot be ignored by those who vote for the All-America college basketball teams.
The 17th-ranked Boilermakers manhandled Nebraska 104-68 last Sunday, a triumph that marked the first time in school history Purdue has won four consecutive conference games by at least 18 points (81-61 vs. Minnesota; 79-61 vs. Northwestern; 68-50 vs. Rutgers).
Smith surpassed 600 career assists against Nebraska, joining Ohio’s D.J. Cooper (2010-12) as the only NCAA players to reach 1,000 points, 600 assists and 450 rebounds in their first three seasons.
During the five-game winning streak, Smith is averaging 20.0 points and 11.4 assists per game. That run has raised Smith’s season averages to 15 points and a Big Ten-leading 9.2 assists per game. Smith ranks third nationally in assists.
No Big Ten player in the last 20 years has had more career point-assist double-doubles than Smith’s 16.
Smith is on pace to become the first player since Loyola Marymount’s Terrell Lowery (1990-91) to average 15.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range.
Winning strengthens Smith’s All-America case. With Fletcher Loyer at his side for all 91 starts as a Boilermaker, Purdue is 76-15.
Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.