Indiana’s 2026 matchup with Purdue lands in the kind of spot that usually tells you everything you need to know about the rivalry on paper: Saturday, November 28, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, with kickoff time and TV still TBD. And while the date is still far off, the shape of the Boilermakers is already pretty clear.
Purdue comes into 2026 off a rough 2025, finishing 2-10 and 0-9 in Big Ten play. The roster does bring back a decent amount of experience - 58 percent of its overall production, according to Bill Connelly/ESPN, and 61 percent on offense - but the numbers from last season were ugly across the board. The Boilermakers ranked No. 122 in scoring offense, No. 103 in rushing offense, and No. 81 in passing offense.
Josh Henson enters his second year as offensive coordinator, and the most important piece remains Ryan Browne at quarterback. Browne started all 12 games last season and threw for 2,153 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while completing 58.9% of his passes.
He also added four rushing touchdowns. The bigger issue is that his career profile still leans the wrong way: he has more interceptions than touchdowns and has yet to show consistent efficiency.
Purdue does have a potential strength in the backfield. Antonio Harris is back after logging 69 carries for 305 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore.
Fame Ijeboi arrives from Minnesota after posting 97 carries for 441 yards and a couple touchdowns. Jerrick Gibson, who transferred in from Texas, added 152 yards on 37 carries in 2025.
At receiver, the Boilermakers are starting over in a major way. Nobody returns after catching more than 14 passes a year ago.
Still, the portal brought in some names with production. Xavier Townsend had 84 catches for 764 yards and four scores across 39 games at UCF and Iowa State.
Bisi Owens posted 138 receptions, 1,664 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons at Penn. Asaad Waseem is coming off a 2025 season at Florida Atlantic with 66 catches, 699 yards and five touchdowns.
Tight end could matter, too, if Purdue can keep George Burhenn on the field. He’s back as the starter after making 9 catches for 94 yards in four games before a season-ending injury.
Central Florida transfer Kylan Fox was supposed to be the likely No. 2 tight end, but an offseason knee injury changed that picture. Beyond those two, there isn’t much proven production.
Up front, the offensive line is supposed to be better after a disastrous 2025. Joey Tanona is the only returning full-time starter, though Ethan Trent also made six starts last year. The newcomers include Boaz Stanley, who started nine games at South Carolina in 2025, Micah Banuelos, who started five games at USC, and Nuku Mafi, who had 12 starts at Oklahoma State.
On defense, Purdue returns 55 percent of its production, which ranks No. 59 nationally. Kevin Kane is back as defensive coordinator after holding the job in 2023-24, and the challenge is obvious after a season in which the Boilermakers ranked No. 117 in scoring defense, No. 112 against the run and No. 110 against the pass.
There are a few experienced pieces inside. Ian Jeffries returns after recording 20 tackles, three TFLs and a sack.
Curt Neal, now at his third Big Ten school, has 61 career tackles and five TFLs in four seasons. Rodney Lora also arrives with a resume that includes 22 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and a sack in 2025 at UCF.
The edge rush is where Purdue looks thin. The Boilermakers are back just 2.5 sacks on the perimeter after their best pass rushers either graduated or transferred out.
There is some upside in the additions, though, starting with Keyshawn Burgos, who has 58 career tackles, seven TFLs and 2.5 sacks in 41 games at Virginia Tech. Elo Modozie saw limited action for Georgia in 2025, and Jeremy Lewis brings eye-catching production from Iowa Western with 71 tackles, 21 TFLs and 10.5 sacks in two seasons.
Linebacker features Purdue’s best returning defender in Charles Correa, who finished last year with 96 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. The issue is depth and certainty around him. A lot of the players competing for time beside and behind Correa still have to prove they can hold up at the Power 4 level.
The secondary does bring back two productive contributors. Smiley Bradford had 30 tackles, five TFLs, an interception and six pass breakups.
Hudauri Hines added 33 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, an interception and eight PBUs. Purdue also made several portal additions, including Jaden Mangham, who had 30 tackles at Michigan; Mister Clark, who was first-team All-Conference USA in 2025 at Florida International; Ta’Vari Hampton, a second-team NJCAA All-American; John Slaughter, who played at Colorado and Tennessee; and Dax Noles, a first-team NJCAA All-American.
Special teams was one of the few bright spots last season. Purdue finished No. 6 nationally in special teams according to PFF.
But there are changes there, too. Kicker Spencer Porath left via the transfer portal, punter Jack McCallister is gone to eligibility, and true freshman Jacobo Echeverria Lozano is set to open as the field goal kicker.
Buffalo transfer Dylan Drennan should handle punting duties after earning second-team All-MAC honors and averaging 44.8 yards per punt.
For Purdue, the path forward is simple to say and hard to execute: things have to get better in a hurry. The Boilermakers haven’t won a Big Ten game or beaten any Power 4 team since 2023, and even with all the returning pieces and portal additions, that still points to a team with a narrow ceiling.
Unless Browne, the offensive line and the defense all take major steps, three or four wins feels like the upper range. And a late-November win over Indiana looks even harder to picture, especially with the Hoosiers having outscored Purdue 122-3 over the last two seasons.
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