For the first time since the 2014-15 season, Purdue didn’t land a single player on the preseason All-Big Ten team.
That’s a notable break from the norm for Matt Painter’s program, especially after years of seeing a Boilermaker show up on the list. This time, though, the Boilermakers are starting from a different place after moving on from Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn. There are still a lot of unknowns in West Lafayette, and that’s part of why no Purdue player got preseason recognition.
But that also leaves the door open for somebody in a Purdue uniform to force the issue by the end of the 2026-27 season. A few names stand out as the best bets to turn this preseason omission into a postseason honor.
The loudest buzz right now surrounds redshirt freshman Omer Mayer. He didn’t play last season, but the expectation inside West Lafayette is that he could grow into the kind of player who can take over stretches of games. Mayer has a game that travels in every direction offensively - he can score at all three levels and handle the ball with purpose.
Teammate Omer Mayer offered a glimpse of just how dangerous that shot can be in September.
"We had practices where he was on the scout team, and he just made shot after shot," Mayer said. "The coaches were looking at us, and we're like, 'Hey, man, he's shooting from really deep and contended, and he was making them.'"
Mayer’s value doesn’t stop on offense. He may end up being Purdue’s best on-ball defender, using his length to cover ground and turn pressure into turnovers. Those steals can quickly become transition chances for the Boilers.
Another player with a clear path to an All-Big Ten leap is 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen. His role should expand this season with Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn out of the picture, and Painter has already emphasized how important a big offseason jump will be for him.
Jacobsen averaged 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last season, and the shot blocking is the obvious selling point. He protects the rim, changes shots and gives Purdue a defensive anchor inside.
The question is whether he can become more forceful on the glass. If he can push his rebounding up to 6.0 per game or better, he starts looking like an All-Big Ten-caliber center.
His path hasn’t exactly been smooth. Jacobsen broke his leg two games into his freshman season after winning the starting job, and last winter he couldn’t really learn through mistakes because Cluff was in front of him.
This year should be different. He’s expected to log most of the minutes at the five, and that gives him a major chance to become Purdue’s next great big man.
Then there’s Braden Cox, who fits the “silent assassin” label heading into 2026-27. He’s the only returning starter from the last two seasons, yet his name doesn’t come up much. That could be a mistake.
Cox averaged 8.5 points per game last season and shot 45.7%, but he wasn’t one of the focal points of the offense. With Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn gone, that changes the equation. He could easily become one of Purdue’s leading scorers this year.
There’s already evidence that he can carry more of the load. Cox scored in double figures in three of Purdue’s four NCAA Tournament games, put up 27 in a road game at Northwestern and added 18 against Memphis in the Baha Mar Championship.
He’s dangerous from deep, but he also earned real praise for his defense. He was Purdue’s best on-ball defender last season and should be one of the best again.
Mayer’s situation also mirrors Jacobsen’s in one important way: he finally has room to take over. He didn’t battle injuries at Purdue, but as a freshman he was limited by Smith’s presence. Now the sophomore guard has a chance to put the ball in his hands and guide the Boilers.
He averaged 5.5 points per game off the bench, even without extended minutes to show what he could really do. His pull-up jumper is already a strength, and he has been working to add more drives so he can get easier baskets at the rim.
Mayer has also stepped into a louder leadership role, one he has embraced during the offseason. He looks like a guard ready to run a Big Ten program, and his scoring-passing combination makes him difficult to defend. The biggest area left for growth is on defense, though at 6-foot-4, he has the size and physicality to create problems there too.
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Purdue Keeps Reaching The Red Zone But One Problem Wont Go Away
Purdue keeps getting where it needs to go, but the last few yards have become the sticking point. The Boilermakers have turned 22 of 24 red zone trips into points, which sounds efficient enough on paper, but only 13 of those drives have ended in touchdowns. Against Illinois, that split showed up again as the offense settled for field goals after moving into scoring position.
Offensive coordinator Josh Henson said the answer has to come from sharper play-calling and cleaner execution once the field shrinks. For Purdue, that means running the ball better and winning more one-on-one battles up front, because the margin gets thin near the goal line and drives that look promising can slip away fast. [Read more 🡒]