Northwestern Wildcats Lose Defensive Back to Big Ten Opponent

The transfer was only in Evanston for a few months.

Memphis' An'Darius Coffey (10) warms up before the game between Southern Methodist University and University of Memphis at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday, November 18, 2023. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Defensive back An'Darius Coffey wasn't with Northwestern for very long. After transferring in from Memphis back in December, Coffey decided to re-enter the portal in the second window last week.

Now, according to On3's Pete Nakos, he's staying in the Big Ten and heading to Purdue for the 2025 season.

Northwestern defensive back An'Darius Coffey has signed with Purdue, @On3sports has learned.

Transferred in from Memphis over the winter. Has 50 career tackles and 4 TLFs. https://t.co/VxSGJETKD9 pic.twitter.com/DgAOBJIant

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 29, 2025

Coffey spent four seasons with Memphis, including a year testing out running back as a sophomore in 2022. He switched back to the defensive side of the ball in 2023.

With the Tigers, he racked up 50 total tackles, four TFLs and two forced fumbles. Coffey does not have an interception yet in his college career.

The six-foot DB was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and the No. 25 ranked player in Mississippi, accordng to 247Sports. Four years later, as a transfer, 247 had him as their No. 1,046 player in this year's class.

Coffey's departure is a strange one because he just got here this offseason, but he did have time to get a sense for his surroundings.

In today's college football landscape, spring practice is incredibly important for players in deciding whether the opportunity laid in front of them is what they want. The second transfer window is still open during these practices, so players who don't like their situation can still exit.

That's exactly what Coffey chose to do after attending spring practice with the 'Cats. For whatever reason, the fit just wasn't there. It could have been a depth chart issue. It could have been a scheme issue. It's impossible to know.

However, it's much easier to speculate on why he chose to go to Purdue. Charles Clark, his old DB coach at Memphis, is now the DB coach in West Lafayette. That connection likely contributed to his decision.