Purdue heads into Saturday’s trip to Champaign with a few notable names still missing and a couple more hanging in the balance for its Week 5 matchup with Illinois.
Defensive back Mister Clark and offensive lineman Joey Tanona are both out again for the Boilermakers. Clark got on the field in Purdue’s season opener against Indiana State, but he hasn’t played since. Tanona has yet to make his 2026 debut after suffering an ankle injury in fall camp, delaying what was supposed to be his run as the team’s starting left tackle.
The biggest question marks on Purdue’s side are on the offensive line and at defensive end. Jude McCoskey is listed as questionable even though he has started all four games this season at right tackle.
Elo Modozie also carries a questionable tag after appearing in Purdue’s first two games. The Georgia transfer has not put up any stats, and he sat out the losses to UCLA and Notre Dame.
Purdue also has two freshmen expected to be out for the year. Defensive back Raderrion Daniels and tight end Kylan Fox are both unavailable, and both are expected to miss the entire 2026 season because of knee injuries.
The availability report will keep getting updated each day leading up to Saturday, with the final version coming out a few hours before kickoff at Memorial Stadium.
That kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. ET, with the game airing on Big Ten Network.
Compared with Illinois, Purdue’s injury situation looks manageable, but losing Clark, Tanona and possibly McCoskey would still matter. The Fighting Illini have a longer report of their own, with four players out, two doubtful, three questionable and five listed as probable.
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