One of the most highly regarded names in the 2029 recruiting class is heading to West Lafayette this month.
Mason Grivna, a 6-foot-11 rising sophomore, has lined up an unofficial visit to Purdue for Saturday, Sept. 26, according to 247Sports’ Travis Branham. That trip will come on the same afternoon the Boilermaker football team hosts in-state rival Notre Dame at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Purdue is one stop on a busy run of visits for Grivna. In the coming weeks, he is also scheduled to visit Kentucky, South Carolina, Louisville, Indiana and Ohio State.
The buzz around Grivna is easy to understand. Rivals.com ranks him No. 18 overall in the 2029 class, lists him as the No. 2 center, and labels him the top prospect in Kentucky.
He attends Ballard High School in Louisville, where he put together a strong freshman season, averaging 16.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while helping his team go 23-7. After that 2025-26 campaign, he earned second-team MaxPreps All-American honors.
Purdue offered Grivna in July, and he is one of three 2029 prospects to land an offer from the Boilermakers so far. The others are guards Drew Cabana of Michigan and Micah Mohler of Indiana.
Matt Painter’s staff is expected to keep chasing elite big men, and Grivna clearly fits the profile. Even as a freshman, he showed a skill set that stands out for a player his size.
He can handle the ball well, push from the wing, and get to the rim. He also brings a smooth jumper, good footwork in the post, and the ability to create space for fadeaway looks.
Add in the fact that he runs the floor well, and it’s easy to see why he’s drawing this level of attention.
Purdue has already stacked up some promising size for future classes. The Boilermakers picked up a commitment from four-star center Isaiah Hill in May, a Pike High School (Ind.) prospect in the 2027 class, and four-star forward Jamyn Sondrup is set to arrive in 2028 after a two-year mission.
Painter’s track record with big men has long been a Purdue calling card, and Grivna would be another major piece in that pipeline if he ultimately ends up in the program.
In Other News...
Barry Odom Revealed What Changed In Purdues Opener
Purdues 2026 opener had the kind of uneven first half that usually leaves a coach looking for answers, but the Boilermakers found theirs in a dominant third quarter. After struggling offensively early against Indiana State, Purdue settled in and finished with a 44-19 win, fueled by a period in which it scored 21 points and held the Sycamores to just 34 yards. Barry Odom pointed to the halftime adjustments as the turning point, and the result gave the Boilermakers an opening-game snapshot that was more encouraging than clean.
Ryan Browne was at the center of the surge, turning in a polished performance by completing 23 of 29 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. For Purdue, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly the offense corrected itself after looking out of sync in the first half. The win wont erase the rough spots, but it did show the Boilermakers have a quarterback capable of settling things down once the game starts to tilt their way. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Finally Has Hope Again But One Concern Isnt Going Away
The first Saturday of the new season brought Purdue a much-needed reset, and it came with enough convincing moments to suggest the Boilermakers may have some life again. They were in control by halftime, built a comfortable cushion early in the second half, and got a balanced showing on offense and special teams that looked a lot more like a team that knew what it was doing. Fame Ijeboi found the end zone and nearly reached 100 rushing yards, Ryan Browne threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns, and Jacobo Echeverria-Lozano was perfect in his debut on field goals and extra points.
Still, one game can only do so much to quiet the larger questions hanging over this program, and Purdue knows it cannot treat this as anything beyond a promising start. The opener was encouraging because it showed speed, efficiency and some swagger, but the challenge now is whether those traits can survive once the competition stiffens and the pressure rises. For a team that has spent too long searching for signs of progress, the early answer is refreshing. The next one matters even more. [Read more 🡒]