Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 SEPT. 20, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE "Some of them didn't know it, but then once we got started into the pro- cess, then it was as complete of an or- ganization and team functioning on all levels as I've been a part of." Odom also adapted well to the new era of college football, aggressively using the transfer portal to improve UNLV's roster. The Rebels signed 19 transfer additions ahead of his final year, according to On3. "I think we'll be as aggressive and competitive as anybody that we're go- ing up against," Odom said. "I believe in that." That held true in Odom's first off- season at Purdue. He added 54 trans- fers, the most in the Power Four. But he's also relying on returners such as veteran running back Devin Mockobee, who carried 46 times for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Boilermakers' first two games, to usher in the new era. "I think No. 1, we've got to be able to run the ball," Odom said Sept. 8. "That doesn't have to mean that Mock gets 46 carries in two weeks. But if that's what it takes, that's what we'll do." Twenty-plus carries might not be in the cards for Mockobee against Notre Dame, which out-talents Purdue in ev- ery way imaginable. Odom's transfer additions generally fall into one of two categories: Former four-star recruits who couldn't crack the depth chart at their previous schools and Group of Five starters overlooked by more powerful programs. Odom's blueprint is simple: Out- scout, out-develop and out-coach. He turned several undervalued portal ad- ditions into stars at UNLV, such as line- backer Jackson Woodard, wide receiver Ricky White III and safety Jalen Catalon. That's a winning formula for mak- ing Purdue consistently competitive in the Big Ten's middle class and, a few years down the road, pulling off upsets against top programs. But no formula, barring a Northern Illinois-style col- lapse by the Irish, will put Purdue on Notre Dame's level in Week 3. ✦ 1. Purdue Is The Most Transfer-Heavy Roster In The FBS First-year Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom has long been known for his defensive roots and lately for his transfer-heavy roster makeovers. The Boilermakers added an FBS-high 54 transfers in the offseason, with West Virginia second at 52 and Oklahoma State third at 40. At his previous coaching stop, UNLV, Odom brought in at least 50 transfers in each of his two seasons coaching the Rebels. UNLV went 19-8 overall and 12-3 in the Mountain West combined in 2023 and '24 under Odom. Overall, Purdue has 82 newcomers on its 2025 roster, including high school recruits and walk-ons. Forty-six of them were post-spring additions. Odom, a 48-year-old former linebacker and former head coach at Missouri, replaced Ryan Walters, who was purged after two seasons and a 5-19 overall record. Walters is Washington's defensive coordinator this season. The few Boilermaker returnees still left over from the Walters era get to face him in a Big Ten matchup in Seattle Nov. 15. 2. Ryan Browne Looks To Revive The "Cradle Of Quarterbacks" Vibe If nothing else, Browne is a welcome transfer-portal U-turn maker. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt sophomore started the 2024 season as Hudson Card's backup but made two starts and played in six other games, though not against Notre Dame last September in either capacity. After Purdue's 18th-place league finish and the coaching change, Browne joined the portal rush out of West Lafayette, spending the spring semester at North Carolina with new Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick. He then trans- ferred back to Purdue during the April portal window, and won the starting QB job in a five-man training camp competition in August. Can he elevate the position in 2025 to join Purdue's vaunted Cradle of Quarterbacks, the last of whom — Curtis Painter — concluded his college career 17 seasons ago? 3. Former Notre Dame O-Lineman Joey Tanona Is Thriving Three and a half years after a head injury seemingly ended Joey Tanona's playing career, the former four-star prospect from Zionsville, Ind., made his first college start — as Purdue's left tackle. He played 80 offensive snaps in the Boilermakers' season-opening Aug. 30 smackdown of Ball State, then started and played 79 more against Southern Illinois the next week, before Purdue took on Big Ten foe Southern Cal Sept. 13. That came after medically retiring a few months after suffering the injury in a car accident on the way to a Notre Dame winter workout when he was an early enrolled freshman in 2022. The rest of the Irish O-line class that cycle comprised starters Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner, as well as longtime reserve Ty Chan, who transferred this past offseason to UConn. Tanona sat out the 2023 season as well, before entering the transfer portal and trying a career reboot after that season. After landing at Purdue, he saw 56 snaps as a reserve in 2024, spread over six games. He did not see action against the Irish, though, in last season's 66-7 trouncing in West Lafayette, Ind. — Eric Hansen Former Notre Dame four-star recruit Joey Tanona, who suffered a head injury in a car accident that nearly ended his career more than three years ago, made his first college start as Purdue's left tackle Aug. 30 against Ball State. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE ATHLETICS Three Things To Know About Purdue