Purdue Football 2026 Position Preview — Offensive Line
In this story:
We're shifting our preview of Purdue's football position groups from skill players to the offensive line. The Boilermakers have needed help in the trenches, and it appears this group is in a much better spot than it was last season.
Barry Odom attacked the transfer portal to find experienced offensive linemen. He also brought in a new offensive line coach, Zach Crabtree, to help the program improve up front. It's resulted in a major upgrade in the trenches, at least on paper.
Let's take a look at Purdue's offensive line for the 2026 campaign.
Returners
- Joey Tanona (Sr.) — Tanona is the leader of the bunch in terms of his experience. He started all 12 games for the Boilermakers last season and has appeared in 22 contests since arriving in West Lafayette. With a 6-foot-6, 310-pound frame, Tanona is an anchor at left tackle and gives Purdue exactly what it needs at that position.
- Ethan Trent (Jr.) — The junior earned a scholarship from Odom last season and appeared in 12 contests, which included six starts. He will have an opportunity to carve out a starting role up front this year, but even if he doesn't win the job at right guard (or somewhere else along the offensive front), he'll be an excellent reserve.
- Jude McCoskey (Sr.) — McCoskey only logged 89 total snaps in 2025, but he was a riser during spring practice. He was a left tackle in 2024 at Indiana State, a position that Tanona is expected to have when the 2026 campaign kicks off. Still, he earned several first-team reps at the spot with Tanona out, which indicates he may be the Boilers' backup at that spot.
- Max Parrott (So.) — Last season was the first Parrott saw any snaps in his first two years at Purdue. He appeared in 11 games, all on special teams. He's still a young offensive lineman with a great frame at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds.
- Mason Vicari (Jr.) —Vicari played in 11 games for the Boilermakers last season on special teams. At UNLV in 2024, he played in nine games. He's another player along the offensive line who provides depth for Purdue.
- Rocco Daly (So.) — Daly was a member of Purdue's 2025 recruiting class and did not appear in any games last fall. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
- Hayden Timosciek (Sr.) — Timosciek is a former quarterback at Bowling Green who has made the shift to offensive line. He stands 6-foot-8, 280 pounds, but appeared in just seven games at Purdue last season, all coming on special teams.
- Tom Ewing (Jr.) — Ewing has been at Purdue for three seasons but has not yet appeared in any games.
- Marques Easley (So.) — Last season was Easley's first at Purdue, but he did not play in any games until the season finale against Indiana. However, he's been a bright spot for the Boilermakers in spring practice and appears to be in contention for a potential starting spot. He's another player with great size at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds.
- Sankeerth Veluri (Fr.) — A product of Carmel High School, Veluri did not appear in any contests as a true freshman for the Boilers last fall.
- Marc Nave Jr. (So.) — At 6-foot-6, 355 pounds, Nave is one of the biggest Boilers on the roster. He enters his second season at Purdue, but did not play in 2025.
Newcomers
- Micah Banuelos (Jr.) — Banuelos came to Purdue from USC, having some connection with current Purdue offensive coordinator Josh Henson. Banuelos was one offensive lineman who worked plenty with the first string and will be a major factor up front. The 6-foot-2, 315-pound junior played in 10 games last season with the Trojans, making five starts.
- Nuku Mafi (So.) — One of the biggest additions from the transfer portal was Mafi, who started 12 games at Oklahoma State last season, including 11 at left tackle. He is also familiar at right tackle, a position he'll seemingly play at Purdue. He provides the front line with experience, size and quickness at the right tackle spot.
- Boaz Stanley (Sr.) — Boaz is another one of those transfer portal additions who brings size and experience to Purdue's front line. He spent one year at Georgia Military College, two seasons at Troy and was at South Carolina in 2025. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound senior has played in 25 FBS games, making 21 starts, including nine with the Gamecocks.
- Jatavius Shivers (Jr.) — Shivers appeared in 16 games across three seasons at South Carolina. He's another offensive lineman to keep an eye on as the Boilermakers sort out the starters, but Shivers could factor in as a reserve if he doesn't get one of the five starting jobs.
- Makai Saina (So.) — Saina is another USC transfer, but he doesn't bring the same experience as Banuelos. He spent two years in Los Angeles but has not yet appeared in a college football game.
- Terrell Berryhill Jr. (Fr.) — Berryhill was a three-star recruit out of East St. Louis. He brings a 6-foot-5, 275-pound frame to West Lafayette.
- Brock Brownfield (Fr.) — An in-state product, Brownfield is a player who had a solid spring and could be one of the players who carves out a substantial role for himself as a freshman. He was a three-star prospect out of high school.
- Rico Schrieber (Fr.) — There's no question Schrieber has the frame of a Big Ten offensive lineman. He's a 6-foot-8, 330-pound lineman who was another three-star prospect but another one with serious potential. He's another young gun to keep an eye on throughout fall camp.
- James Williams Jr. (Fr.) — James was a three-star prospect out of Fort Wayne, committing to Purdue as a member of the 2026 class.
Purdue beefed up the OL
The average weight among Purdue's offensive linemen is actually down two pounds from last season, coming in at 307.5 pounds per player. Still, nearly everyone on this year's roster has Big Ten size and it's a group that has great functional weight.
Purdue really made a splash in the transfer portal by adding experienced offensive linemen. Bringing in Mafi, Banuelos, Stanley and Shivers were significant additions to the Boilermaker front line. Plus, Schrieber and Brownfield have the potential to factor into the rotation in reserve roles as true freshmen.
Although Purdue did lose some key linemen from a season ago, they were able to return Tanona, which might have been one of the bigger wins of the offseason. Having that left tackle position fortified should be helpful for the Boilermaker offense this fall. Trent, McCoskey and Easley are also key returners who are expected to factor into the equation this year.
Developing chemistry early?
With no spring transfer portal window, Purdue was able to build and develop some chemistry along the offensive line early. No, the starters haven't been set yet, but the combination of McCoskey, Easley, Stanley, Mafi and Banuelos saw a bulk of the snaps with the first unit.
McCoskey was filling in for the injured Tanona, but it seems like that may be the group Odom and Henson feel best about heading into fall camp. Things could still change, but if that is the unit the Boilers role with, they would have had months of reps together.
It's not the same type of experience as playing together for multiple seasons, but it does allow that group to develop some sense of chemistry. That's an important piece to success up front.
The biggest question
Is this offensive line Big Ten-ready? That's a difficult question to answer, because it's a group that has a great collection of size and experience. But is it capable of moving defensive lines in the conference?
If this group had spent multiple seasons together, then you might feel more confident in what it could accomplish. But this is a collection of players still learning and developing the type of chemistry needed to succeed at a high level.
Odom has placed a heavy emphasis on establishing a strong rushing attack. That begins with the play in the trenches. On paper, it looks like Purdue has a group that can pave some pathways for a talented running back room.
This may be cheating, but another question is about the drop-off from the first to the second unit. This offensive line group seems to be much deeper than previously and there may not be a sizable difference when backups are called into action. It's another question we won't have an answer to until kickoff arrives.
One final thought
Odom and his staff did an excellent job addressing the offensive line issues during the offseason. This is a group that has more experience, great size and is deeper than it was one year ago. That should be a reason for optimism in West Lafayette.
How much better will the offensive line be, though? Will it be consistent enough to win games at the Big Ten level? Those are the questions about this group that will continue to linger until the 2026 season kicks off in September.
Purdue is going to have a solid starting group up front, one that should be able to compete consistently in the Big Ten. The second unit will have more experience than last fall, another major advantage for the Boilermakers.
Games are won and lost in the trenches and Odom did an excellent job identifying talent and bringing players to West Lafayette. How this group comes together in fall practice will be an indicator of what Purdue can accomplish in 2026.
Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.
Follow SchutteDustin