Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 9 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M When head coach Barry Odom ar- rived at Purdue last year, his immediate challenge was to build a roster virtually from scratch. The team that had been put together by Odom's predecessor, Ryan Walters, fled West Lafayette en masse after the 2024 season, leaving the Boil- ermakers' new coach with no choice but to hit the transfer portal hard. Odom, formerly head coach at UNLV and Missouri, ended up bringing in 58 players. To no one's great surprise, the hastily assembled team skidded to a 2-10 finish. In comparison to last year's massive overhaul, this year's rebuild was more targeted. Yes, Purdue brought in 30 play- ers, but there were a few spots at which the Boilermakers had found some an- swers, and one of them was the most im- portant position on the field. Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Browne was not a portal acquisition; the former three-star recruit from New Berlin, N.Y., came to Purdue in 2023. He started two games as a redshirt fresh- man and 12 last fall, topping 300 yards in three of them. His full-season stats were modest — a 58.9 percent completion rate, 2,153 yards, 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions — but Browne persevered through some tough circumstances and is firmly established as the starter. Purdue will be looking for him to make strides this fall. The Boilermakers are also welcom- ing back a potential difference-maker in tight end George Burhenn. The 6-foot- 5, 245-pound junior was slowed by an ankle injury and a broken arm and ended up playing in only four games last year. Even so, he caught 9 passes for 94 yards. If he's healthy, he'll give the offense a big lift in 2026. Purdue has also added four transfer wide receivers, including one of Matt Campbell's former Iowa State players, Xavier Townsend, who had 18 catches for 243 yards in his junior year with the Cyclones. The offensive line is home to the Boil- ermakers' only other returning full-time starter on offense, junior left tackle Joey Tanona, a former four-star prospect who spent two injury-plagued seasons at Notre Dame before heading to Purdue in 2024. Defensively, Purdue lost two players who produced 10 of its 24 sacks in Mani Powell and CJ Nunnally. Here again, the transfer portal has come into play, with the Boilers signing senior Elo Modozie. The 6-4, 250-pound Modozie spent two seasons at Army and one year at Georgia, playing in 12 games for the Bulldogs last season before deciding to move on. Another key transfer will be familiar to Penn State fans. Former Nittany Lion Anthony Speca has joined the Boilers' linebacker corps, where he will team up with junior Charles Correa, Purdue's re- turning leader in total tackles (96), tack- les for loss (7.5) and sacks (3). The secondary needs to be more op- portunistic after the Boilermakers came up with only 4 interceptions as a team last year, finishing tied with UCLA for the fewest in the Big Ten. Purdue hit the portal here, too, but there are also a pair of junior returnees who will bear watch- ing. Cornerback Hudauri Hines is a re- turning starter, while Smiley Bradford saw action in all 12 games at nickel and is ticketed for a starting role. Together, Hines and Bradford accounted for 14 of Purdue's 39 pass breakups and 2 of its 4 picks. — Matt Herb O C T . 3 1 | T I M E T B D | T V T B D | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E , P A . Ryan Browne started all 12 games at quarterback for the Boilermakers last year, throwing for 2,153 yards. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE ATHLETICS GAME 8 PURDUE RISING STAR CHARLES CORREA | LB Correa transferred from UNLV last season and ended up finishing with 96 tackles to rank third on the defense. He's now listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and will be an even bigger factor as a junior on a Purdue defense that needs to make strides after allowing 423.5 yards per game to rank 118th in the FBS. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads, 17-1-3 Head Coach: Barry Odom (2-10 in one season at Purdue; career coaching re- cord: 46-43) 2025 Record: 2-10, 0-9 Big Ten Returning Starters: 4 (2 offense, 2 de- fense) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Antonio Harris (305 yards, 2 TD) Passing: QB Ryan Browne (2,153 yards, 9 TD) Receiving: WR Corey Smith (237 yards, 1 TD) Tackles: LB Charles Correa (96) Sacks: LB Charles Correa (3) Interceptions: NB Smiley Bradford, CB Hudauri Hines (1) 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Sept. 4 Indiana State — Sept. 12 Wake Forest — Sept. 19 at UCLA — Sept. 26 Notre Dame L, 56-30 Oct. 3 at Illinois L, 43-27 Oct. 10 Minnesota L, 27-20 Oct. 16 Washington L, 49-13 Oct. 31 at Penn State — Nov. 7 Maryland — Nov. 14 at Iowa — Nov. 21 Wisconsin — Nov. 28 at Indiana L, 56-3