Purdue Football 2026 Position Preview — Specialists

Concluding the Purdue position previews for the 2026 season with a look at Purdue's specialists. This will be an interesting group for the Boilers this fall.

Purdue Boilermakers punter Sam Dubwig (95). | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

To close out the 2026 position preview for Purdue, we're shifting gears from defensive backs to the specialists. It's the only group we haven't discussed, and there's actually plenty of interest surrounding this aspect of the game.

Purdue lost kicker Spencer Porath to the transfer portal and punter Jack McCallister was out of eligibility. That means the Boilermakers will be welcoming in a new starter at both of those positions. Who wins each job in 2026?

Let's take a look at the specialists on Purdue's roster.

Returners

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom looks down the field. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• Luke Raab, LS (So.) — This will be Raab's second year as the starting long snapper for Purdue. He transferred in from Georgia after the 2024 campaign and played in all 12 games for the Boilers, totaling 94 snaps. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last year and provides experience at the position.

• Seth Turner, K (Jr.) — Turner was Purdue's kickoff specialist in 2025, appearing in all 12 games. He was responsible for 53 kickoffs and 30 resulted in touchbacks. He's also a candidate to add field goal duties to his role this coming fall.

• Jack Weeter, K (Jr.) — Weeter has not played in any games at Purdue. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2025 and will be part of the three-man kicking battle.

• Sam Dubwig, P (So.) — Dubwig's first season at Purdue was in 2025 after spending his first season at Arkansas. He has not yet appeared in any games at the college level.

Newcomers

• Dylan Drennan, P (So.) — Drennan transferred to Purdue after a big freshman year at Buffalo. He was a second-team All-MAC selection after averaging 44.8 yards per punt on 68 attempts. Drennan also pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line 16 times. He will be a contender to win the starting job in West Lafayette.

• Jacobo Echeverria Lozano, K (Fr.) — Only a freshman, Lozano hopes to compete immediately to be Purdue's field goal kicker. He was a top-10-ranked kicker by Kohl's Kicking Camp in the 2026 recruiting class.

Replacing great production

Former Purdue kicker Spencer Porath. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I've mentioned before that Purdue's special teams is an overlooked area of concern heading into the 2026 season. The Boilermakers lost Porath, last year's primary field goal kicker, to Notre Dame. Last season, he was successful on 15-of-17 field goals and connected on all 24 PAT attempts.

Additionally, McCallister was able to help Purdue with field position thanks to his strong leg. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt on 50 attempts. Trying to replace both of those starters won't be an easy task for the Boilermakers.

By bringing in Drennan, Purdue will at least have one punter on the roster with game experience. Currently, the Boilermakers do not have a kicker who has attempted a field goal at the college level. That's a concern heading into a new year.

The biggest question

Who wins Purdue's starting jobs at kicker and punter? That may be a simple question, but it's still critically important, especially for a program trying to put some tallies in the win column in Big Ten play this fall.

The battle seems to be between Turner and Lozano for the field goal kicker job, though Weeter could factor into the equation, too. Turner has the leg up (pun intended) because he has game experience, though just on kickoffs. When it comes to field-goal kicking, everyone is essentially on a level playing field.

Purdue is probably in a slightly better spot at punter because of the addition of Drennan. He brings a full year of punting experience with him to West Lafayette. Dubwig has been on the sidelines for two years and will get an opportunity to compete for the job. Right now, the punter feels like the steadier of the two positions.

One final thought

Purdue Boilermakers special teams coordinator James Shibest. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Special teams never gets as much attention as the offense or defense, but it could be a real difference, especially in close games. Purdue is a program that has to minimize its mistakes, and with a lack of experience at kicker and punter, this is going to be an interesting group to watch during fall camp.

Raab returns as long snapper, which provides Purdue with some stability in that department. Adding Drennan obviously gives the Boilers experience at punter, too. The kicking job, though? That's a true mystery at this stage in the offseason.

Purdue needs to be able to score more touchdowns and not rely so heavily on its kicking game this year. But for a program that needs to find ways to win close games, having a solid kicker is important.

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