Frustrations Grow; What Does Purdue Football Need?

If you are a Purdue fan, watching “60 Minutes” last Sunday night on CBS just added to the growing frustration that the folks inside Hovde Hall and Mackey Arena in West Lafayette slept while Indiana and its monied boosters (Mark Cuban, the Simons, the Irsay twins, etc.) put together a 13-0 season and its first Big Ten championship since I was in first grade.

Just add Curt Cignetti to the long line of Purdue “what if” stories. He was at James Madison, waiting for his break in 2023 when athletic director Mike Bobinski, deputy AD in charge of football Tiffani Grimes and the Purdue Board of Trustees decided a young defensive coordinator with no head coaching experience was the best choice. It’s possible Purdue football may never recover from the devastation left behind by Ryan Walters.

If the past two seasons in Bloomington and the grumbling that can be discerned by people suffering from hearing loss isn’t enough for Purdue to pry open its dusty wallet and start spending on Boilermaker football, then the following exercise is a waste of time.

What should Barry Odom’s personnel priorities be when the 2026 transfer portal opens Jan. 2 for two weeks?

Quarterback

You get what you pay for, and Indiana’s reported $2 million invested in Fernando Mendoza earned a return of an All-American, the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner and the 13-0 season.

How much do you think Purdue and Odom sank into Ryan Browne, backup Malachi Singleton, Bennett Meredith and Evans Chuba? Not anywhere $2 million, hopefully.

Purdue got what it paid for with Browne’s poor decision making probably costing the Boilermakers victories against Rutgers and Minnesota. A 4-8 record, while not appealing, beats the heck out of 2-10.

Singleton is back in the transfer portal after being used by Purdue as a change of pace QB. Anyone drawing a coaching paycheck knew what was coming with Singleton on the field. Run left, run right, run up the middle.

If Odom has a future at Purdue, he cannot have Browne as the No. 1 quarterback when the 2026 season kicks off against Indiana State. Get an established starting quarterback from a non-Power 4 school who wants a shot at the big time. You’d think Purdue’s Cradle of Quarterbacks tradition and maybe a phone call from Drew Brees would make this possible.

Offensive line

Purdue could have a 21-year-old Brees, and he’d be running for his life behind a line that was inconsistent at best in 2025.

Offensive tackle Joey Tanona and center Bradyn Joiner were the most consistent of the front five. UNLV transfer Hank Purvis showed promise at guard after moving into a starting role mid-season, but he entered the transfer portal this week.  Four linemen, starters not SEC backups, are probably the minimum here.

Defensive end

The transfers from big name schools were outplayed by a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection from Akron. CJ Nunnally IV led Purdue with five sacks. But he’s out of eligibility.

Again, look for established players who have put up the numbers in games over former four-stars who have looked good in SEC and Big Ten uniforms.

Defensive back

A better pass rush helps any defensive secondary but this was a problem area nonetheless. Memphis transfer Tahj Ra-El was a standout at safety and UNLV transfer Tony Grimes didn’t live up to high expectations but was a competent cornerback. Both, though, have used up their eligibility.

Smiley Bradford could be a star and still has two seasons of eligibility. After that, a whole lot of unproven players on the roster.

Linebacker

UNLV transfer Charles Correa was one of the Big Ten’s top tacklers and still has two seasons of eligibility. Alex Sanford, an Arkansas transfer, looks like a keeper as well. After that?

Wide receiver

Nitro Tuggle was one former Georgia wide receiver who came close to the preseason hype. The sophomore needs to improve consistency but he’s a good place to start for this group.

EJ Horton took over a starting job after Arhmad Branch fell into disfavor. Again, consistency is needed. Former Brownsburg star Corey Smith had trouble at times catching the ball but don’t give up on him yet.

This group needs a true No. 1 receiver in the Rondale Moore-David Bell-Charlie Jones mold. Those aren’t easy to find and may be out of Purdue’s price range.

Tight end

George Burhenn is talented but after yet another season-ending injury, Purdue just cannot afford to count on him. The rest of this group were either offensive linemen masquerading as tight ends or just not ready for the Big Ten.

Running back

One of many sad statistical notes from 2025: Even though Devin Mockobee’s Purdue career ended after eight games due to injury, he still ended up leading the Boilermakers in rushing for the fourth consecutive season with 521 yards.

Antonio Harris, like Mockobee a former walk-on from southern Indiana (Castle), rushed for 305 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards a carry. The only other running back on the roster at the moment, former Elkhart standout Jaron Thomas, had one carry for 15 yards.

Defensive tackle

A higher priority now that Jamarrion Harkless is in the portal. The position isn’t a total rebuild assuming a healthy TJ Lindsey plus Ian Jeffries and Demeco Kennedy return. But Purdue shouldn’t turn away any tackle with run-stopping ability.

Punter

In the NFL, coaches consider kickers a dime a dozen. In the Big Ten, a good punter can give an average defense a good head start with field position.

Jack McCallister was a gift from Nebraska, which hired a special teams coach that wanted rugby style kicking. McCallister was an All-Big Ten selection, but his eligibility is up too.

It’s possible the 2026 punter is already on the roster with Connecticut transfer Seth Turner and Arkansas transfer Sam Dubwig waiting behind McCallister.

Kicker

Former Brownsburg standout Spencer Porath was one of very few bright spots on this roster, setting the Purdue single-season record for field goal percentage (88.2) by making 15 of his 17 attempts.

Porath, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, was the only Big Ten kicker to make multiple 50-yard field goals this season. His career-long 53-yarder at Washington is the third-longest in school history.

Overall

Pretty grim outlook, isn’t it?

The 2026 schedule isn’t quite as daunting – no Ohio State or Michigan – but UCLA may be the only shot at a victory away from West Lafayette. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Penn State complete the road Big Ten slate.

Other than Notre Dame, the home schedule seems reasonable with Indiana State, Wake Forest, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin coming to Ross-Ade Stadium.

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.