Freshman Defensive End Hits Transfer Portal After 1 Season at Purdue
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Jamari Payne, a redshirt freshman defensive end, has announced his intent to enter the NCAA transfer portal when the window opens on Wednesday. He's one of a handful of Purdue players that have already made the decision to explore new opportunities outside of West Lafayette.
"To the incredible fans, thank you for the support as I lived out my dream of playing college football as well as achieving academic goals," Payne wrote. "Thank you, Purdue, for giving me the opportunity to represent the Boilermakers. I am forever grateful for the relationships I have made and the memories that will last a lifetime.
"With that said, I will be entering the transfer portal with 4 years of eligibility left."
Payne spent just one season at Purdue and did not appear in any games during the 2024 campaign. The 6-foot-2, 272-pound defensive end was able to utilize his redshirt year.
As a high school recruit, Payne was a three-star prospect out of Notasulga, Ala. He was ranked as a top-70 defensive lineman in the class and received more than two dozen offers on the recruiting front.
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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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