Anonymous Big Ten Football Coach Not Impressed by Purdue's Transfer Portal Haul
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When the spring season concluded in West Lafayette, second-year head coach Barry Odom felt confident about the group of transfer portal players he was able to bring to Purdue. Across the board, it looks like the Boilermakers have upgraded at nearly every position compared to last year.
At least one anonymous Big Ten coach isn't overly impressed with the program's transfer portal haul, though.
This week, Athlon Sports published its annual story of anonymous Big Ten coaches speaking about opponents for the upcoming season. One unnamed coach was critical of the transfer portal class that Barry Odom and his staff brought to West Lafayette.
“I really do think that they have a good coaching staff, but I’d be lying if I said that I was impressed with what they brought in through the portal," the anonymous coach said.
Purdue brought in a 29-man transfer portal class during the offseason. The Boilermakers addressed nearly every position group on the field outside of quarterback. Perhaps the program's biggest additions came at running back, adding former Minnesota back Fame Ijeboi and ex-Texas ball carrier Jerrick Gibson.
The Boilers also bolstered the offensive and defensive lines and added production in the wide receiver room. All were areas of concern for Purdue following a 2-10 campaign in 2025.
Without question, Purdue has a steep hill to climb to get back to being a competitive program in the Big Ten. Heading into 2026, though, Odom is confident that his team can make some noise.
"I've got such a strong belief in what we have done, what our team has done, how close they are together," Odom told Query & Company in April. "I know 2026 is going to be the year that Purdue football gets back to its winning ways."
Where does Purdue's transfer portal class rank?
Some outside of West Lafayette may not have been impressed with Purdue's portal class, but it's undoubtedly a step ahead of where the roster was one season ago.
The Boilers ranked 39th with their 2026 transfer portal class, per 247Sports. Among Big Ten programs, Purdue ranked 10th, putting it right in the middle of the conference.
For Purdue, though, the improvement isn't solely in the talent its bringing to campus. Odom and his staff also had to do significantly less work compared to last year, when there were more than 50 transfer players who came into the program.
Purdue was able to retain some of its more important pieces from last year's team, while adding skill and depth via the transfer portal and the high school recruiting class.
Will that result in a better season? The Boilermakers open the season on Sept. 5, hosting Indiana State at Ross-Ade Stadium. We won't know much about Purdue until Week 2, though, when Wake Forest comes to West Lafayette for an important non-conference game on Sept. 12.
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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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