Purdue Loses Commitment From Skilled WR in 2026 Class
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A talented receiver in the 2026 recruiting class has flipped his commitment from Purdue to North Carolina. Kymistrii Young, a three-star prospect in the upcoming class, decommitted from the Boilermakers this week.
Hayes Fawcett of Rivals.com reported that Young flipped his commitment from Purdue to North Carolina. He initially committed to play for the Boilermakers on June 1.
The Sarasota, Fla., product is a three-star player in the 2026 recruiting class and is listed as the No. 127 wide receiver of the class. Young held two dozen offers on the recruiting trail, which included Arizona, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Penn State, Pitt, Utah, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech at the Power Four level.
During the 2025 season at Cardinal Mooney, Young has caught 39 passes for 915 yards and eight touchdowns. Over the last three seasons, he's totaled 86 receptions for 1,974 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Young's commitment to Purdue came shortly after a visit to campus in late May. At some point, though, the receiver had a change of heart and will play college football at North Carolina.
Where Purdue's 2026 class currently stands
The Boilermakers' 2026 class isn't great in terms of verbal commitments. Obviously, with the Early Signing Period approaching and the later signing period coming in February, there's time for Purdue to improve.
With Young's flip to North Carolina, Purdue now sits at 19 commitments for the 2026 recruiting class. The Boilers rank 56th nationally, per 247Sports' Composite Rankings. In the Big Ten, they have the 15th-best class out of 18 teams.
There are currently no four- or five-star players committed in Purdue's 2026 class.
When coach Barry Odom took over the program in December, he talked about the importance of building a foundation on high school recruiting and adding pieces through the transfer portal. However, Purdue may be in a situation where it has to rely heavily on the portal again this offseason.
Purdue added more than 80 new faces to the program before the start of the 2025 season, which 54 coming from the transfer portal. The finishing touches haven't been put on the 2026 recruiting class just yet, but Odom and staff may be encountering a situation where they have to portal hop more than they'd like.
The Boilermakers will host No. 2 Indiana on Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium for the final game of the 2025 campaign.
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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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