Purdue Football: Position Groups – Defensive End

Note: I’m using the same intro for all of the articles in this series. Here are the links to the other articles in this series:

Offense

Quarterback

Tight End

Running Back

Offensive Tackle

Interior Offensive Line

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Wide Receiver

Defense

Defensive Tackle

The NCAA announced they are moving forward with a rule change that eliminates redshirts and allows five seasons of eligibility as long as you are enrolled by the time you’re 19. This, in part, was a reaction to the influx of European professionals into college basketball last season. It also clears up the eligibility issues regarding junior college recruits after Diego Pavia received an additional year of eligibility through a court injunction. In theory, these new rules will take effect for any player who enrolls on or after January 1, 2027, while players who enroll before next year will get whichever set of rules is most beneficial for them.

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To boil that down to its essence, athletes who played as “true freshmen” under the old system will get an extra year of eligibility, and JuCo players who spend 2 years in JuCo get 3 seasons of eligibility instead of 3 seasons to play 2.

You can read the press release from the NCAA here.

Defensive End

Eligibility Changes

Elo Modozie will receive an extra season after starting as a freshman at Army. Jeremy Lewis will receive an additional season as a junior college transfer. This is huge for Purdue, as both are projected to be in the rotation in 2026.

Thoughts

CJ Madden and Trey Smith return, and I’m not sure what that means for Purdue. Simply put, they were huge disappointments in 2025. They combined for 31 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. I’d be disappointed with those stats from one starting defensive end, much less two (granted, Smith only started 2 games last season). You’ll see their names penciled in as starters for 2026, but color me skeptical. You are what your stats say at some point. Madden has 26 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks in four seasons of college football. Smith has 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack over the course of 3 seasons. That’s not going to get you an invitation to the Den of Defensive Ends, and I certainly don’t think either has a starting spot reserved heading into fall camp.

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You’ll hear Elo Modozie referred to as a Georgia transfer, but in reality, he’s an Army transfer who spent last season at the back end of the defensive end rotation in Athens. In 2024, as a sophomore at Army, Modozie started 14 games and was credited with 34 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and blocked 2 kicks on his way to being named to the All-AAC Third Team. He was considered one of the top rush-end transfers in 2025, signed with Georgia, and got lost as the 5th man in a 5-man defensive end rotation, and hit the eject button. Needless to say, Purdue and Georgia don’t exactly have the same level of talent at defensive end. I’m more interested in seeing what Modozie can do than either Madden or Smith, and expect the former high school wide receiver to find a spot in the rotation, if not lock down a starting spot coming out of camp.

Modozie is joined by fellow 2026 portal member Keyshawn Burgos (V.Tech), JuCo transfer Jeremy Lewis, and 2025 holdover Breeon Ishmail in what should be an absolute battle for playing time in fall camp. This is the type of intrasquad competition you expect at a Big 10 school. There are 7 capable players fighting it out for a chance to be in the rotation. That was sorely lacking in 2025. This position is completely up in the air, and I have no idea how the snap counts are going to play out. Burgos is a towering 6’5″ strong-side end with 10 starts under his belt who excels at playing the run but has only 2.5 sacks in four seasons of college football. Lewis won a NJCAA D1 National Championship with Iowa Western in 2025 and was a Second Team NJCAA All-American, putting up 41 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and an interception. That’s the type of chaos I expect from a starting defensive end. While Modozie could end up as more of a 3rd-down pass rusher, I’ve got Lewis penciled in as a starter. He may end up as the steal of the recruiting class when all is said and done. Finally, Breeon Ishmail did a respectable job last season in the first real action of his college football career. Michigan saw him as an interesting developmental prospect when they signed him. He should be fully developed and ready to move up the depth chart in 2026.

This is the position to keep an eye on in fall camp. I see seven players who have a legitimate chance to make the 4-5-man defensive end rotation. Purdue’s depth is significantly improved, but can one of these guys make the jump from “playable” to “dominant”? If someone does, Purdue’s chances to win in 2026 get exponentially better.

Moving Forward

This is another spot that should be much improved in 2026 but could be good in 2027 if everyone who can return does return.

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There are also some 1st- and 2nd-year players looking to establish themselves in the program. Landon Brooks still has some filling out to do at 6’5″, 220, but is an interesting long-term prospect. Mason Alnutt has the size at 6’4″, 250, but needs experience. True Freshman Katrell Webb brings speed off the edge and has 54 tackles-for-loss and 30 sacks on his high school resume. Max Carmicle is listed at 6’8″, 255 as a true freshman, and I’m honestly not even sure what the coaching staff is going to do with him. If nothing else, he’s going to be fun to watch on the kick-block team. Aiden Solecki is another massive freshman, listed at 6’6″, 260, who seems destined for the strong side as well.

I have no idea if any of these guys will pan out, but it’s clear Purdue wants to have a clear, strong, and weak side defensive ends in the future.