Purdue Football Nets Commitment From Chicago EDGE With Multiple Big Ten Offers

The Boilermakers picked up a three-star defensive end out of Chicago this week, adding to their 2027 recruiting class.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom smiles during a spring practice. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue edged out several Big Ten programs for its latest addition to the 2027 recruiting class. The Boilermakers received a verbal commitment from three-star defensive end Owen Roberts this week, becoming the sixth prospect in the cycle to announce his pledge to Purdue.

Roberts, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge from Chicago, announced his commitment to Purdue with a post on social media. He is just the second defensive prospect to join the Boilers' 2027 class.

"After a lot of thought and conversations with my family, I'm beyond excited to announce my commitment to [Purdue]," Roberts wrote on X. "Special thanks to [defensive ends coach Jake Trump], [defensive coordinator Kevin Kane], and [head coach Barry Odom] for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to become a Boilermaker!"

Roberts held nearly two dozen offers, which included interest from four other Big Ten programs. Purdue beat out Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers and Northwestern for the defensive end's commitment. He also held offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Vanderbilt at the Power Four level.

During his junior season at York High School, Roberts produced at a high level. He accounted for 61 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He ranks as the No. 85 defensive end and is a top-40 prospect from Illinois in the 2027 recruiting class.

Purdue's 2027 recruiting class currently ranks 61st nationally, per 247Sports.

Roberts is Purdue's second defensive commitment

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom looks on. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

With Roberts' commitment this week, Purdue now has two defensive pledges in the 2027 class. The Boilermakers have also landed a verbal commitment from three-star linebacker Ethan Reyna out of Merrillville, Ind. He is currently the only in-state recruit for the Boilers in the cycle.

Reyna is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker from Andrean High School. He committed to Purdue in late May and was the first defensive prospect of the class to pledge to play for Odom and the Boilermakers.

Like Roberts, Reyna also had a handful of Big Ten offers. He picked Purdue over Minnesota and Rutgers. He played on both sides of the football for the 59ers during his junior season, racking up more than 100 tackles on defense and rushing for nearly 600 yards on offense.

The Boilermakers still have a lot of work to do on the recruiting front, especially over the summer months. Odom has spoken frequently about high school recruiting becoming the foundation for the program.

It will be interesting to see how things develop over the next several weeks with Purdue's 2027 class.

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