Purdue Adds Pledge From Talented EDGE to 2027 Recruiting Class

The busy month of June for Purdue continued this weekend, as the Boilermakers added another defensive lineman to the 2027 recruiting class.

A Purdue Boilermakers helmet sits on the sidelines. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The success on the recruiting trail this month continued for Purdue over the weekend. On Saturday, the Boilermakers added another verbal commitment to the 2027 class, landing three-star edge rusher T.K. Cunningham.

Cunningham is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end from Loganville, Ga. He recently transferred from Grayson High School to Basha High School in Chandler, Ariz. Grayson is the same high school attended by current Purdue basketball guard Gicarri Harris.

Last season at Grayson, Cunningham was responsible for 15 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.

247Sports ranks Cunningham just outside the top 500 in its overall national rankings for the 2027 recruiting class. He's listed as the No. 34 edge and is considered a top-10 player from Arizona in this cycle.

COMMITED!!🚂 #BoilerUp @Coach_Odom @CoachJakeTrump @CoachGreen93 pic.twitter.com/KezYwLFKnQ

— T.K. CUNNINGHAM (@_thaxtonc) June 20, 2026

Cunningham committed to Purdue over offers from several programs, including Florida State, Auburn, Florida, Indiana, LSU, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, UCLA and USC.

Purdue is now up to 16 verbal commitments in the 2027 class with Cunningham's commitment. The Boilermakers continue to climb up the recruiting rankings, now listed at No. 43 nationally and No. 13 in the Big Ten.

Cunningham is the younger brother of T.A. Cunningham, a former three-star defensive lineman who committed to Penn State in 2024. He then played at Garden City C.C. and is now on the East Tennessee State roster.

Second defensive line commitment of the weekend

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom speaks with Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Cunningham became the second defensive lineman to commit to Purdue over the weekend. Sean "Shaq" Saint Fleur announced his pledge to the program on Friday. The DeMatha Catholic product is also a three-star prospect and picked Purdue over multiple programs.

With the additions of Cunningham and Saint Fleur, the Boilers are now up to four commitments along the defensive line. Improving the trenches has been a point of emphasis for Barry Odom and his staff since taking over.

Getting high-level commitments is important for the Boilermakers, but what has been even more promising is the program beating multiple major schools for some of its latest pledges. In order to compete in the Big Ten, Purdue needs to win some of these recruiting battles.

This month, Purdue has certainly improved its 2027 recruiting class and has edged out a few big-time programs for some of its latest commitments.

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