Purdue knew the transfer portal had to do heavy lifting after a 2-10 season in 2025, and Barry Odom’s staff attacked it with purpose. The result was a top-30 transfer class built around production, experience and size, and a handful of newcomers look positioned to matter right away in 2026.
The backfield is one of the first places that stands out. Ijeboi arrives after two seasons at Minnesota, where he finished as the Gophers’ second-leading rusher last year with 441 yards and three total touchdowns.
At 6-foot and 210 pounds, he brings a physical style that should fit neatly into Purdue’s rushing plans. Gibson gives the Boilers another option there, and his résumé includes 377 yards and four touchdowns for a 2024 Texas team that reached the College Football Playoff.
Odom has emphasized building a stronger ground game, and both backs figure to get plenty of work.
Up front, Purdue loaded up. Stanley brings the kind of size and experience the Boilers were missing, with 24 games and 21 starts over the last two years at South Carolina and Troy.
At 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, he has the frame and the track record to step in as a starter in the trenches. Mafi adds even more heft at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, and he started all 12 games for Oklahoma State last season.
He has a strong shot to open at right tackle opposite Joey Tanona.
Banuelos also gives Purdue another body with real value on the offensive line. He was one of the spring standouts in West Lafayette and already knew offensive coordinator Josh Henson from their time together at USC. The 6-foot-2, 310-pound lineman played in 10 games for the Trojans last fall and made five starts, giving Purdue more depth and another player who should see plenty of snaps.
On the defensive side, Neal looks like a key answer to one of Purdue’s biggest problems from last season: stopping the run. He spent time at Wisconsin and Illinois and brings Big Ten experience to a front that needed it. At Wisconsin in 2024, he posted 30 tackles with 3.5 for loss, and Purdue is counting on him to help keep backs from gashing the defense.
The secondary also got a major infusion of help. Clark made an impact in his first full season in 2025, finishing with three interceptions and a forced fumble.
Purdue wants more turnovers this year, and his willingness to take chances fits what defensive coordinator Kevin Kane is trying to do. Mangham adds another veteran presence after stops at multiple Big Ten programs.
He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2023 at Michigan State before transferring to Michigan, and he should at least be part of the rotation while competing for a starting role.
Owens gives Purdue a proven receiver who can help stretch and stabilize the passing game. He played in 30 games with 26 starts over three seasons at Penn and topped 400 receiving yards in each of those years.
Last season he put up 696 yards and five touchdowns on 66 catches, and that kind of steady production is exactly what Purdue was after when it looked to deepen the receiver room. Waseem is another pass-catching addition with a strong recent résumé, coming off a 699-yard, five-touchdown season at Florida Atlantic.
He’ll compete to be one of Purdue’s primary receivers in 2026 and brings the reliability the Boilers need at the position.
In Other News...
Purdues Canada Opener Offered An Encouraging First Look At This Roster
The opening game of Purdues four-game trip in Canada gave the Boilermakers an encouraging first look at a roster still taking shape. Against the Vancouver Selects, they played with a faster tempo, leaned into aggressive perimeter defense and found enough rhythm offensively to spread the scoring around, with five players finishing in double figures.
Antione West Jr. and Gicarri Harris led the way with 20 points apiece, and the shot volume from deep hinted at the kind of pace this group may want to carry on the trip. There were still some familiar early-tour blemishes, including turnovers and a few slow rotations, but the bigger takeaway for Purdue was how many different pieces were able to contribute while the offense kept moving. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Rolls Again In Canada As Young Boilers Keep Impressing
Purdue kept rolling north of the border with an 82-66 win over Trinity Western University in its second game of the Canada trip, and the early takeaway was the same one that has been easy to spot throughout the exhibition run: the Boilermakers are getting real production from a lot of different places. They piled up 13 steals, controlled the glass with 41 rebounds and knocked down 14 threes, with four players finishing in double figures as Daniel Jacobsen, Antione West Jr., Gicarri Harris and Jack Benter all made their mark.
The part that should matter most to Purdue fans is how much of that production is coming from the younger end of the roster. Matt Painter leaned on a group that included freshmen Jacob Webber and Luke Ertel along with redshirt sophomores Jack Benter and Raleigh Burgess to close things out, and they helped keep the lead comfortable. For a team trying to build depth before the games start counting for real, that kind of contribution is exactly the sort of sign Painter wants to see. [Read more 🡒]