Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 13, 2025 41 OPPONENT ON DECK: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS Date: Sept. 20, 2025 Site (Capacity): Notre Dame Stadium (77,622) Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. All-time series: Notre Dame leads 60‑26‑2 Last meeting: Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7 (Sept. 14, 2024 in West Lafayette, Ind.) 2025 Record To Date: 1‑0 (0‑0 Big Ten) Purdue head coach: Barry Odom 1‑0 at Purdue (1st year) and 45‑33 overall (7th year) Season summary: Purdue should put up more of a fight under new head coach Barry Odom than it did under Ryan Walters, whom the Boilers fired in December. Walters took over a program coming off back‑ to‑back winning seasons, and in two years in West Lafayette, Ind., he went 5‑19. During Purdue's 1‑11 2024 season, the Boilermakers lost games by 59 (Notre Dame), 46 (Wisconsin), 35 (Oregon), 45 (Ohio State), 39 (Penn State) and 66 (Indiana). Odom should be more successful than Walters for several reasons. He enters the job with six years of head coaching experience to his predecessor's zero. He went 19‑8 at UNLV, turning around a pro‑ gram whose last winning season was 2013. Before that, his four‑year tenure at Missouri flamed out, but his defenses still punched above their talent level. However, Odom will need time to build his pro‑ gram at Purdue. The Boilermakers lost their three best players — safety Dillon Thieneman, tight end Max Klare and edge rusher Will Heldt — to Or‑ egon, Ohio State and Clemson, respectively. They brought in 54 transfers themselves, but they did not acquire the talent required to compete in the Big Ten. They did manage to keep redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne, who will start after winning fall camp competition. Browne transferred to North Carolina in the winter, but he returned to Purdue after spring practice. Under Odom, the Boilermakers will likely play with more effort than they did under Walters. But no amount of effort can bridge the talent gap between Purdue and Notre Dame. — Eric Hansen Redshirt sophomore Ryan Browne won the fall camp competition to become the Boilermakers' starting quarterback in 2025. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE ATHLETICS On Deck 2025 PURDUE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 30 Ball State W, 31‑0 Sept. 6 Southern Illinois (BTN) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 Southern Cal (CBS) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 4 Illinois TBA Oct. 11 at Minnesota 7/7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at Northwestern TBA Oct. 25 Rutgers 12 p.m. Nov. 1 at Michigan TBA Nov. 8 Ohio State TBA Nov. 15 at Washington TBA Nov. 29 Indiana (NBC) 7:30 p.m. OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. WR‑X 6 Arhmad Branch 6‑0 185 R‑So. or 5 Chauncey Magwood 6‑0 200 R‑Sr. WR‑Z 2 Michael Jackson III 6‑0 205 R‑Sr. 13 EJ Horton Jr. 6‑1 190 R‑Sr. WR‑SL 8 De'Nylon Morrissette 6‑1 203 R‑Jr. 0 Nitro Tuggle 6‑1 195 So. LT 79 Joey Tanona 6‑6 305 R‑Jr. 72 Jude McCoskey 6‑8 325 Jr. LG 74 Jalen St. John 6‑5 330 R‑Sr. 58 Hank Purvis 6‑5 360 So. C 76 Ethan Trent 6‑2 295 R‑So. or 62 Giordano Vaccaro 6‑3 315 Sr. RG 55 Bradyn Joiner 6‑2 310 R‑So. or 76 Ethan Trent 6‑2 295 R‑So. RT 78 Bakyne Coly 6‑7 300 R‑Sr. 71 Marques Easley 6‑6 320 R‑Fr. TE 81 George Burhenn 6‑5 235 R‑So. 17 Rico Walker 6‑3 250 Jr. QB 15 Ryan Browne 6‑4 210 R‑So. 3 Malachi Singleton 6‑1 235 R‑So. RB 45 Devin Mockobee 6‑0 202 R‑Sr. 24 Malachi Thomas 6‑0 220 R‑Sr. DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. LDE 8 CJ Madden 6‑4 275 R‑Jr. 91 CJ Nunnally IV 6‑3 265 R‑Sr. DT 13 TJ Lindsey 6‑3 310 R‑Fr. 18 Demeco Kennedy 6‑2 305 So. NG 97 Jamarrion Harkless 6‑3 345 R‑So. 55 Jamarius Dinkins 6‑5 305 Sr. RDE 23 Trey Smith 6‑4 255 So. 58 Breeon Ishmail 6‑4 270 R‑So. MLB 16 Mani Powell 6‑2 230 Sr. 10 Alex Sanford Jr. 6‑1 232 Jr. WLB 5 Charles Correa 6‑3 230 So. 6 Sanders Ellis 6‑2 240 So. LCB 0 Tony Grimes 6‑2 195 R‑Sr. 29 TD Williams 6‑1 205 R‑Sr. SS 9 Myles Slusher 6‑0 195 R‑Sr. 7 Crew Wakley 6‑0 202 R‑Sr. FS 21 Tahj Ra‑El 6‑2 208 Sr. 43 Richard Toney Jr. 6‑0 195 R‑Sr. RCB 4 Hudauri Hines 6‑1 200 So. or 12 Ryan Turner 6‑0 195 R‑Jr. NB 24 An'Darius Coffey 5‑10 203 Sr. 3 Sterling Smith 6‑1 198 Jr. PURDUE DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PK 35 Spencer Porath 5‑11 200 So. 26 Jack Weeter 5‑11 180 So. KO 35 Spencer Porath 5‑11 200 So. 26 Jack Weeter 5‑11 180 So. P 38 Jack McCallister 6‑0 213 R‑Sr. 95 Sam Dubwig 6‑4 231 R‑Fr. LS 46 Luke Raab 6‑2 215 R‑Fr. 59 Justin Schmidt 6‑1 233 Fr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. H 38 Jack McCallister 6‑0 213 R‑Sr. 95 Sam Dubwig 6‑4 231 R‑Fr. PR 24 Malachi Thomas 6‑0 220 R‑Sr. 5 Chauncey Magwood 6‑0 200 R‑Sr. KR 5 Chauncey Magwood 6‑0 200 R‑Sr. 24 Malachi Thomas 6‑0 220 R‑Sr. SPECIAL TEAMS