Matt Painter Talks Addition of Big Man Oscar Cluff to Purdue Roster

Purdue made a huge splash in the transfer portal, landing 6-foot-11 center Oscar Cluff. Coach Matt Painter talked about adding a physical big man to the roster.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter smiles during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue didn't waste any time when it came to recruiting out of the transfer portal. Just a few days after losing their Sweet 16 game to Houston last Friday, the Boilermakers landed one of the top players in the transfer portal: 6-foot-11 center Oscar Cluff.

Throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Purdue struggled in the rebounding department. Losing 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen in the second game of the season certainly hurt the Boilers on both ends of the floor.

So, when coach Matt Painter went "portaling" (as the kids say), he was looking for someone who could help his team from a physical and rebounding standpoint. Cluff checks both of those boxes.

"When you get into the portal, you're trying to add pieces and add a physicality," Painter told Field of 68 during an interview this week. "We weren't a great rebounding team (this season). We were able to help ourselves there, able to help our physicality. We're very fortunate to land somebody of that stature, but to also give us that need.

"That was the thing with Daniel Jacobsen coming back, Trey Kaufman-Renn having a great year, just trying to solidify our front line and hopefully make a deep run again next year."

Cluff is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game at South Dakota State. He ranked second nationally in both total rebounds and offensive rebounds per game. Additionally, Cluff is a willing passer, dishing out 2.2 assists per contest.

Purdue ranked 130th in rebounding margin this season, edging out its opponents by just 2.1 boards per game. In order to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament next season, that's an area that needed to be addressed.

The Boilermakers finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 24-12 record and reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, a pretty strong year after losing two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey and other key pieces.

But with a lot of talent returning from last year's team and the addition of Cluff to the roster, the goal in West Lafayette will undoubtedly be to win another Big Ten title and make a run to the Final Four.

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