Purdue Football 2026 Position Preview — Wide Receivers
In this story:
After dissecting Purdue's running back room in the last position preview, it's time to move outside the numbers and check out the wide receivers. There is plenty of intrigue with this group entering the 2026 season.
The Boilermakers have a nice collection of returning skill and incoming production. Purdue is also hoping to have multiple key guys back from injury, which will help the team in terms of depth.
Let's have a look at Purdue's wide receiver group for the upcoming season.
Returners
- Corey Smith (Jr.) — Smith is Purdue's leading returning receiver for the 2025 season. He played in all 12 games and made one start. He totaled 237 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches for the Boilermakers. He has played in every game of his college career, also making 12 appearances in his lone season in Tulsa (2024).
- Jesse Watson (So.) — Watson appeared in all 12 games during the 2025 campaign. He didn't put up big numbers, ending the season with 8 receptions for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Watson factors into Purdue's rotation with a full season under his belt.
- Chauncey Magwood (Sr.) — Magwood spent time on the injury report during the 2025 campaign and was limited throughout the season. He played in just two games and hauled in one reception for 15 yards in Purdue's loss to Illinois. Magwood does have a lot of experience, playing in 41 games at Kentucky and UCF before transferring to Purdue for the 2025 season.
- De'Nylon Morrissette (Sr.) — At the beginning of the year, Morrissette was expected to be a key piece in Purdue's offense. However, injury kept him sidelined for the entirety of the season. In 2024, he played in 11 games and made four starts. He finished that year with 11 receptions for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. When he's healthy, he can be a major factor in the passing attack.
- Jalil Hall (Fr.) — Hall was a freshman who could have factored into Purdue's rotation last season, but he suffered a season-ending injury in the team's opener against Ball State. He finished the year with one catch for seven yards. He's another youngster who will be fighting for snaps this fall.
- Tra'Mar Harris (So.) — Over the last two years, Harris has played in three games, making just one appearance in 2025. He caught two passes for two yards against Ohio State.
- Nolan Buckman (Jr.) — An Indianapolis native, Buckman has been on Purdue's roster for three seasons, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of the last two years. He has not appeared in any games for the Boilermakers.
- Andrew Adkinson (Jr.) — In his last two seasons at Purdue, Adkinson has appeared in 21 games, primarily on special teams. He is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
- Quinn Rosenkranz (Fr.) — Rosenkranz completed his first season in West Lafayette in 2025. He did not play in any games as a true freshman.
Newcomers
- Xavier Townsend (Sr.) — Townsend comes to Purdue after spending the 2025 season at Iowa State. Before that, he played at UCF for three years. He's a versatile receiver, one who is capable of working into the special teams unit as a return man. Over the course of his career, he's hauled in 84 catches for 764 yards, carried the ball 37 times for 296 yards and has accounted for more than 800 return yards (kickoff and punt). Townsend can be a weapon in many ways in Purdue's offense.
- Bisi Owens (Sr.) — A senior who attended Penn for three years, Owens had his most productive year in 2026. He caught 66 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns for the Quakers, earning first-team All-Ivy League honors. He's been a consistent pass catcher during the course of his career. Owens brings experience and production with him to West Lafayette.
- Asaad Waseem (Jr.) —Waseem played at Colorado for two seasons, spent the 2025 campaign at FAU, then transferred to Purdue. He only appeared in two contests with the Buffaloes, but he had a breakout year in his lone season at Florida Atlantic. In 2025, Waseem totaled 699 yards and five touchdowns on 66 receptions. He was the second-leading receiver for the Owls.
- Ricky Sampson (Jr.) — Sampson comes to Purdue from the junior college ranks, playing last season at Victor Valley College. He was another prolific talent at his previous stop, totaling 49 catches for 606 yards and three touchdowns. He's a big target at 6-foot-4, but there are still some questions about how his game will translate to the Big Ten.
- Jaylan Hornsby (So.) — Coming to Purdue from Syracuse, Hornsby was a role player at receiver last season. He appeared in 11 contests for the Orange and finished the year with eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
- Jojo Johnson (Fr.) —Johnson was one of just two wide receiver recruits in the 2026 class. He was ranked as a three-star prospect coming out of Richmond, Va., and committed to Purdue over offers from Michigan State, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and others.
- Brandon Kinsey (Fr.) — Kinsey is the second high school recruit at the wide receiver position in the Boilermakers' 2026 class. He is also a three-star prospect and held offers from Nebraska, Ole Miss, Auburn, Louisville, Texas A&M, UCF and West Virginia.
Impact of the transfer portal
The wide receiver room was in major need of talent, experience and depth following the 2025 season. It was a major weakness for the Boilermakers last season, which forced Barry Odom and his staff to address those concerns through the transfer portal.
Purdue picked up proven contributors who produced at a high level at their previous school. Owens (Penn), Waseem (FAU) and Sampson (Victor Valley) all had more than 600 receiving yards last season. Townsend is a versatile player at the position with five years of experience. Plus, the Boilers were able to land a few talented high school recruits in Johnson and Kinsey.
Consistency is the receiver room has been an issue since Jeff Brohm left, and the arrivals of Owens, Waseem, Sampson and Townsend address those concerns. All four should factor into Purdue's rotation in some capacity and upgrade the position substantially from last season.
Recovering from injuries
The Boilers were hit hard with injuries at wide receiver last year. Magwood, Hall and Morrissette spent varying amounts of time in the injury report last season, which hindered their growth and Purdue's depth at wide receiver. Now that they're all expected to be healthy for 2026, how do they factor into the mix?
Morrissette is the player who everyone expected to be one of the team's top receivers in 2025, but he was never able to get onto the field. Magwood and Hall were extremely limited, so the jury is still out on what those two can bring to the position.
Purdue should be in a much better spot at the receiver position with the returning players and transfer additions. It should also create plenty of competition during fall camp as guys battle for starting roles.
The biggest question
Does Purdue have enough playmakers in the room to make the passing attack a true weapon?
There's no doubt the Boilermakers have upgraded through the transfer portal and will be getting Morrissette, Hall and Magwood back healthy. It creates a much deeper, more experienced and more talented position group heading into 2026. But not many of the players mentioned have produced at the Big Ten level, so there are still questions surrounding this group.
Dropped passes have also been an issue over the past three seasons, something Purdue is going to have to clean up this offseason. Even if the Boilermakers show improvement in that area alone, it will allow the offense to keep drives alive and score more points than they have in recent years.
On paper, Purdue is in a much better spot than it was last year at wide receiver. But how will this group perform when the season kicks off in September?
One final thought
The wide receiver room is one of the most intriguing position groups for Purdue heading into the 2026 season. The Boilermakers have Morrissette returning from injury and brought in a plethora of proven receivers in Waseem, Owens, Townsend and Sampson. But none of those guys have been the primary option at a Power Four program.
Purdue could have a collection of receivers who really turn the passing attack into a commodity. Or, it could lack a true No. 1 target and this could continue to be a work-in-progress for Odom and his staff.
Odom prioritized production in the portal with skill positions, and this incoming group certainly has performed at a high level at their previous schools. Will it translate to success in the Big Ten?
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