Purdue Veteran Defensive Back is First to Announce Transfer After 2025 Season
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The first Boilermaker has officially announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. On Tuesday morning, veteran defensive back Sterling Smith announced his decision to enter the portal next month, becoming the first player from Purdue to release a statement on the matter.
Smith spent the last two seasons at Purdue after transferring in from Holy Cross. He appeared in 12 games for the Boilermakers during the 2025 campaign and was credited with three tackles.
"I appreciate Purdue for the opportunity to pursue my academic and athletic dream for the last two seasons. I’m grateful to Coach Odom, Coach Shibest, Coach Ro, and my teammates for believing in me," Smith wrote in a social media post. "I am entering the transfer portal Jan. 2nd with two years of eligibility remaining."
Smith's announcement comes just a few days after Purdue ended its 2025 campaign with a 2-10 record. The Boilermakers lost in the season finale to Indiana 56-3.
When Ryan Walters was fired following the 2024 season, Smith decided to enter his name into the transfer portal and explore options outside of West Lafayette. However, he gave coach Barry Odom and the new staff a chance and remained with the program for one more season.
Prior to his arrival at Purdue, Smith was a regular starter at Holy Cross in the secondary. He played in 10 games and made nine starts. He was responsible for 36 tackles and two pass breakups during the 2023 campaign.
How many players will hit transfer portal?
One of the interesting things to follow over the next month is the number of Purdue players who decide to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January. After a 2-10 season, there's a chance that the Boilermakers see several members of the 2025 squad depart.
Following the conclusion of the season, Odom stated that he is hoping to retain a good chunk of this year's roster and add to the 2026 team through high school recruiting and sprinkling in some players from the transfer portal.
"I just don't know what the retention is going to look like," Odom said following Friday night's loss to Indiana. "How many are we going to sign? How many are we going to lose? There's no way we'll be at 83 [transfer players] like we were last year. Hopefully, we can keep the core group of guys that want to do it and build this thing into a winner."
The NCAA transfer portal will officially open on Jan. 2.
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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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