Barry Odom Provides Injury Update on Purdue Veteran Left Tackle Joey Tanona
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Purdue has been operating through the last few practices of fall camp without its starting left tackle. Last week, veteran offensive lineman Joey Tanona suffered an ankle sprain, which has kept him sidelined in West Lafayette as the Boilermakers inch closer to the season opener against Indiana State on Sept. 4.
On Monday, head coach Barry Odom provided an update on Tanona, who is a key piece to Purdue's offensive line entering the 2026 season. The Boilers expect to have their starter at left tackle back in the near future.
"Full recovery. Expected to be back by the work week of Week 1," Odom said.
Purdue's final practice of fall camp is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27. After that, the Boilermakers will start digging in to game week preparations for Indiana State. That should be when Tanona is back on the field taking reps.
Tanona started in all 12 games at left tackle for the Boilermakers during the 2025 season and played in 10 games in 2024. He is Purdue's most-experienced offensive lineman returning this fall.
With Tanona out temporarily, Purdue's list of significant injuries has risen to three players. Last week, Odom revealed that tight end Kylan Fox and defensive back Raderrion Daniels both have likely suffered season-ending knee injuries.
Tanona missed spring practice
The ankle sprain is the second setback Tanona has suffered in 2026. He missed spring ball while recovering from shoulder surgery. He hasn't been able to get as many reps as his teammates over the last eight months, but he's been a proven commodity up front during his two seasons in West Lafayette.
With Tanona out, Oklahoma State transfer Nuku Mafi rolled out with the first-team offensive line at left tackle during spring. Per GoldandBlack.com's Tom Dienhart, that's also been the case since Tanona's ankle sprain in fall camp.
The silver lining to Tanona's absence from spring and fall camp is that Mafi and others have gotten more reps with the first unit than they would have otherwise. It should prepare the Oklahoma State transfer to play a significant number of snaps during the 2026 season.
Mafi is only a redshirt sophomore but start in all 12 games for the Cowboys during the 2025 campaign. He played in one contest at right tackle then played the remaining 11 games at left tackle.
Having depth at left tackle is key for Purdue when it comes to protecting quarterback Ryan Browne. As long as Tanona returns to full strength, the Boilermakers should have two really good options that can be rotated in throughout games to reinforce the front lines.
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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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