Purdue's Matt Painter Reveals One Redshirt Decision Has Been Made for 2025-26 Season
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One redshirt decision has been made for Purdue's basketball team heading into the 2025-26 season. Head coach Matt Painter told reporters on Thursday that sophomore forward Raleigh Burgess will utilize this year as his redshirt season.
Painter said a decision was made prior to Friday night's exhibition game against Kentucky because sophomores and upperclassmen cannot play in those games and retain a redshirt year.
"Raleigh is definitely going to redshirt, so I've talked with him," Painter said. "As a sophomore, you can't play in these games and still redshirt. The true freshmen can. That's the only thing we've gotten to at this point."
Burgess opted against a redshirt year during the 2024-25 season, coming off the bench to assist Purdue to a 24-12 record and a trip to the Sweet 16. Late in the year, though, the 6-foot-11 forward suffered a leg injury that essentially kept him on the sidelines.
Shortly after the season ended, Burgess underwent surgery to correct the injury. He was unable to practice while rehabbing and was finally able to get back on the hardwood in the fall. The redshirt year allows Burgess the chance to get back into "basketball shape" and improve his game without losing a year of eligibility.
As a true freshman last season, Burgess appeared in 31 contests and averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. His best statistical performance of the year came in a 90-72 win over USC last February, scoring eight points and collecting two rebounds.
Burgess will still have three years of eligibility to use following the 2025-26 season. With Oscar Cluff, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Liam Murphy gone after this season, he should have an excellent opportunity to carve out either a starting job or a contributing role for the Boilermakers at the four spot in the 2026-27 campaign.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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