WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue football‘s spring showcase had just ended and head coach Barry Odom was already commenting about the spring transfer portal window.
Odom is in the same seat as every coach nationwide in the reality that is college football in 2025.
Advertisement
Several players would depart, including some who just got to Purdue in January.
And several others would transfer in before the fall season. Twenty-nine players from Purdue’s spring roster entered the transfer portal before the April 25 deadline. As of the afternoon on May 5, the Boilermakers have added 24 players this spring.
But did the Boilers get better in the post-spring roster revamp? Take a look at it by position.
More: Purdue football spring transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out for 2025 Boilers
Purdue football roster changes post spring
∎ Quarterback: Out − EJ Colson, Jake Wilson; In − Ryan Browne (North Carolina).
Advertisement
More: Why this quarterback left Purdue football for Bill Belichick, and returns to ‘home for me’
The Boilermakers lost a transfer from Central Florida who was on campus less than four months and a walk-on. What Purdue added was Browne, who started two games for the Boilermakers last season before spending his spring in Chapel Hill under the tutelage of Bill Belichick. Browne returns with that valuable semester elsewhere to help polish him and comes back to a place he’s most comfortable albeit with a mostly new staff. Expect Browne to battle Evans Chuba and Malachi Singleton for QB1.
Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) takes a snap Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, ahead of the NCAA football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
∎ Offensive line: Out − Jaden Ball (Minnesota), Jaekwon Bouldin (Mississippi State), Rod Green, Jordan King, Jimmy Liston (Utah State), Joshua Sales; In − Marques Easley (Georgia), Tyrell Green (Eastern Kentucky), Bradyn Joiner (Auburn), Jude McCoskey (Indiana State/Tulane), Marc Nave Jr. (Kentucky)
Advertisement
The Boilers needed to get better up front. Ball had a lot of promise and Liston is a Purdue legacy, but ultimately the program lost no one who’d seen a lot of playing time. Easley has tremendous upside if he can avoid the off field baggage that helped lead to his departure from Georgia. Joiner was an All-SEC freshman, while Green and McCoskey have excelled at the FCS level.
∎ Receiver: Out − Jayden Dixon-Veal, Donovan Hamilton (Ball State), Luke Jones (Fresno State), Adam Kidder, Nathan Leacock, Ryne Shackelford; In − Michael Jackson III (Georgia/USC), Corey Smith (Tulsa), Nitro Tuggle (Georgia), David Washington (Utah)
Dixon-Veal caught 19 passes in 14 games with the Boilermakers, the only spring departure to see in-game action with Purdue. Leacock came from Tennessee in January and never elevated to the top of the spring depth chart. In terms of experience, Purdue upgraded with the spring roster additions and subtractions. Jackson caught 42 passes at USC. Smith had two receiving TDs as a freshman at Tulsa last season and Washington scored a touchdown against Iowa State off a blocked punt. Tuggle has the talent to be an impact player.
∎ Long snapper: Out − Nick Levy (Wisconsin), Claude Strnad; In − Luke Raab (Georgia).
Advertisement
Levy thrived in this role in his lone season at Purdue after transferring from William & Mary. Strnad played the role of Levy’s backup after transferring from Illinois State. Raab will compete with incoming freshman Justin Schmidt.
∎ Kicker/punter: Out − None; In − Jack McCallister (Washington/Nebraska), Seth Turner (Connecticut)
McCallister was Washington’s punter and transferred to Nebraska for the spring season. Despite his short stint in Lincoln, he earned a glowing recommendation after entering the portal from Nebraska and coach Matt Rhule. Sam Dubwig and Bennett Boehnlein already are on Purdue’s roster at punter. Expect Turner to compete with sophomore Spencer Porath for kicking duties.
∎ Defensive line/edge: Out − Reese Hill (Ball State), Caleb Irving (Charlotte), Logan Jellison (Illinois State), Mo Omonode (Minnesota), Jamari Payne, Joe Strickland (Liberty); In − Josh Burney (Fort Valley State), Breylon Charles (North Texas), Ian Jeffries (Arkansas State), Miles Mitchell (Monmouth), Marcus Moore Jr. (Bowling Green/Akron)
Advertisement
The loss of Omonode hurts as he’d been a constant for the past three seasons in the defensive front rotation. Strickland was once a big time recruit but never saw consistent action at Purdue. Irving felt like someone who could’ve had a role, too. The incoming crop are all using successes elsewhere to move up to the Big Ten. Moore was a starter at Akron and transferred to Bowling Green in December but left after a coaching change.
Jan 3, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas State Bobcats quarterback Jordan McCloud (3) is sacked by North Texas Mean Green defensive lineman Fatafehi Vailea II (15) and defensive lineman Breylon Charles (95) during the first quarter at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
∎ Linebacker: Out − Landon Drennan, Hudson Miller (Toledo); In − Charles Correa (UNLV), Sanders Ellis (Tennessee Tech)
Miller went from walk-on to starter, but that wasn’t a role he’d keep moving forward. Linebacker was a position Purdue had to get better. Correa comes in knowing coordinator Mike Scherer’s defense from his time at UNLV. Ellis was the first spring addition, committing in late March. They join transfer hauls from the winter in Alex Sanford, Carson Dean and Mani Powell.
Advertisement
∎ Defensive back: Out − Landon Heard, Ty Hudkins (Iowa), Earl Kulp, Luke Williams (Austin Peay); In − An’Darius Coffey (Memphis/Northwestern); Chalil Cummings (Memphis), Myles Slusher (Arkansas), Traveon Wright (Mississippi State)
Hudkins made some plays throughout the spring and played in 12 games last season as a true freshman. Coffey, who was with Northwestern in the spring after four years at Memphis, and Cummings join former teammate Tahj Ra-El, who transferred to Purdue after last season to form a secondary group familiar with Purdue DBs coach Charles Clark, who coached them all at Memphis.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Breaking down Purdue football’s post spring portal roster changes
