Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546639
38 SEPT. 26, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. WR 6 Jordan Faison 5-11 185 Sr. 33 Matt Jeffery 5-11 195 Jr. WR 1 Jaden Greathouse 6-1 215 Sr. or 3 Mylan Graham 6-1 195 Jr. LT 74 Will Black 6-7 316 So. 68 Charlie Thom 6-7 295 Fr. or 65 Grayson McKeogh 6-7 303 Fr. LG 54 Anthonie Knapp 6-5 305 Jr. 57 Cam Herron 6-2 297 So. C 70 Ashton Craig 6-5 315 5th 64 Joe Otting 6-4 309 Sr. RG 75 Sullivan Absher 6-7 320 Sr. or 71 Styles Prescod 6-6 304 Jr. RT 76 Guerby Lambert 6-7 325 Jr. 78 Owen Strebig 6-8 318 So. TE 87 Cooper Flanagan 6-6 255 Sr. or 88 James Flanigan 6-6 253 So. WR 14 Micah Gilbert 6-2 205 Jr. 17 Elijah Burress 6-1 190 So. or 8 Jerome Bettis Jr. 6-2 207 So. QB 13 CJ Carr 6-2 215 Jr. 10 Noah Grubbs 6-4 210 Fr. or 9 Teddy Jarrard 6-4 210 Fr. RB 22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 210 Jr. 2 Nolan James Jr. 5-10 215 So. or 21 Kedren Young 5-11 234 Jr. DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. DE 5 Boubacar Traore 6-5 253 Sr. 10 Loghan Thomas 6-3 221 Jr. DT 88 Armel Mukam 6-3 300 Sr. 7 Francis Brewu 6-1 285 Jr. NT 0 Tionne Gray 6-5 320 Jr. or 7 Francis Brewu 6-1 285 Jr. DE 95 Bryce Young 6-6 260 Jr. 11 Keon Keeley 6-5 275 Sr. WLB 4 Jaiden Ausberry 6-1 226 Sr. 3 Jaylen Sneed 6-1 227 5th MLB 34 Drayk Bowen 6-2 234 Sr. 27 Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa 6-3 234 Jr. or 19 Madden Faraimo 6-2 235 So. NB 29 Christian Gray 6-0 196 Sr. 1 Dallas Golden 6-0 195 So. or 12 Jayden Sanders 6-0 195 So. CB 15 Leonard Moore 6-2 197 Jr. 24 Mark Zackery IV 5-10 190 So. BOUND 8 Adon Shuler 6-0 205 Sr. 22 Ethan Long 6-2 205 So. FIELD 28 Luke Talich 6-4 222 Sr. 20 Joey O'Brien 6-5 200 Fr. CB 2 DJ McKinney 6-1 190 5th or 12 Jayden Sanders 6-0 195 So. SPECIAL TEAMS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. KO 18 Erik Schmidt 6-2 211 So. or 36 Micah Drescher 6-5 196 Fr. PK 35 Spencer Porath 6-0 200 Jr. 36 Micah Drescher 6-5 196 Fr. P 39 Jasper Scaife 6-6 222 Fr. 18 Erik Schmidt 6-2 211 So. LS 96 Joseph Vinci 6-4 233 Jr. 49 Andrew Kros 6-4 227 Sr. H 39 Jasper Scaife 6-6 222 Fr. PR 6 Jordan Faison 5-11 185 Sr. 1 Jaden Greathouse 6-1 215 Sr. or 22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 210 Jr. KR 22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 210 Jr. or 2 Nolan James Jr. 5-10 215 So. 20 Jonaz Walton 5-9 214 Fr. or 21 Kedren Young 5-11 234 Jr. NOTRE DAME TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. PURDUE RUN DEFENSE Purdue hasn't been awful, but it hasn't done a terrific job of defending the run, either. The Demon Deacons ran 41 times for 186 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns in Week 2, which helped them win 38-36 in double overtime. To fix the 107th-ranked run defense from a year ago, Purdue went hard after transfers on the defensive front. Illinois transfer linebacker Jojo Hayden led the team in tackles through two games with 15, while former Virginia Tech backup Keyshawn Burgos has been a stout run defender on the edge. More is needed, though, from portal additions Elo Modozie (defensive end, Georgia) and Anthony Speca (linebacker, Penn State), who haven't played much in two games. Purdue will also rely on some key returners up the middle. Linebacker Charles Correa, who fol- lowed head coach Barry Odom from UNLV, racked up 96 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss last year. He's back, and he's considered the heart and soul of the Boilermakers' defense. Defensive tackle Ian Jeffries is the most powerful force up front, with 2 tackles for loss so far this year. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has struggled to run the football in the early going. The 116th-ranked rush efficiency unit in the country at 3.58 yards per carry will not cut it if the Irish want to accomplish their goals. They haven't been getting eaten up in the backfield, but they also haven't generated any explosive plays of 20 yards or more. Is it time to panic yet? Not really. If this persists Senior tight end George Burhenn, who Purdue believes possesses All-Big Ten potential when healthy, had 4 receptions for 60 yards in the first two games this season. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE ATHLETICS