Purdue releases statement on transfer Tahj Ra-El amid playbook leaking controversy

Purdue has released a statement on the controversy surrounding Memphis transfer Tahj Ra-El‘s alleged direct messages to UTSA quarterback Owen McCown ahead of last year’s game. Ra-El has since transferred away from Memphis and will play for Purdue in 2025.

“Our coaching staff sees the scenario as being mischaracterized and does not have any concerns moving forward,” the team said in a statement, via On3’s Tom Dienhart.

A screenshot of the Instagram DM between Ra-El and McCown was discovered by Sam Shoemaker of Tiger Sports Report. The DM depicted Ra-El appearing to send several photos of information related to Memphis’ defensive schemes, plays and formations.

Ra-El appeared to even take a shot at some of his teammates during the direct message, stating that “none of they safeties can cover btw” and even revealing the team’s “weakest link” to McCown in the process.

The weak link refers to Kourtlan Marsh, who had been dealing with injury at the time. He started ahead of Ra-El during the season but did not play during the Memphis loss. During the game, UTSA’s offense had “a check for every single one of our defense’s checks,” a player from Memphis’ 2024 squad told TSR.

Ra-El reportedly left the team in October, per TSR. However, sources close to the report allege that he was dismissed from the team rather than voluntarily leaving. There’s no indication that this was the cause for Ra-El’s motive, as the game was played the following month.

The Roadrunners ended up totaling over 400 yards of offense during the matchup. McCown, who was allegedly tipped off by the ex-Memphis DB in his DMs, threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions during the matchup. In the end, UTSA led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Winning that matchup helped the Roadrunners advance to 4-5 on the season. They eventually finished the regular season 6-6 — barely qualifying for bowl eligibility. They would go on to defeat Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

Ra-El went on to commit to Purdue out of the NCAA transfer portal one day before Christmas last year. He’s listed the No. 1,381 overall transfer in the 2025 class, and the No. 134 safety. Based on the Boilermakers’ statement, it appears the DB transfer is poised to begin the season without facing any discipline. According to TSR, they reached out to Ra-El but he declined to comment.