Mani Powell hopes to have helped lay foundation at Purdue

When Barry Odom and Mike Scherer came to West Lafayette from UNLV, they needed a leader for the defense. Someone that could step in and become the vocal and emotional heartbeat of what was a revamped unit heading into 2025. The answer was someone Purdue’s new head coach and defensive coordinator were very familiar with. Mani Powell.

Powell was recruited by Scherer and Odom to Arkansas as a three-star recruit in the 2022 class, and reunited with the pair at UNLV in 2024, before following them to West Lafayette for his senior season.

With Scherer in particular, Powell was drawn to him in the recruiting process and has formed a special connection with his coordinator and position coach.

“I feel like it’s just the synchronized linebacker thought process or whatever. I think it just kind of makes us cling to each other, because we both have our days where one could motivate the other, and we have a relationship that is driven off of basically just showing up for each other, and times where we need each other. So I feel like it’s just a unique relationship, and we both come with high energy, so it’s always a good time to be around that type of connection,” Powell said.

Powell and Scherer are similar in a lot of ways. Two linebackers that come with a different level of intensity and passion for the game. The senior linebacker has been described as a “crash out” by teammates, and while there may be a connotation associated with that moniker outside of the gridiron, Powell takes it as a compliment.

“It’s just me being out there on the field and in everything I do, just being fearless, having faith in what I’m doing. At all times I try give off the impression to the guys and the people that are around me that you can do anything you set your mind to,” Powell said. “When you approach things like that, you’re more prone to be successful in what you’re doing. I feel like it’s just a level of intensity, basically, the crash out label.”

Being a crash out has worked for Powell in West Lafayette, to say the least.

With an expanded role, Powell flipped the switch. He had one game of 10 or more tackles prior to his arrival in West Lafayette, which is a mark he’s eclipsed four times this season. Powell has also set career-best marks in total tackles (103), tackles for loss (11) and sacks (five). His total tackles currently lead the Big Ten, while he is also amongst the leaders in tackles for loss and sacks for linebackers in the conference.

The opportunity was one he was gifted by Barry Odom and Mike Scherer, but it wasn’t just handed over. Powell earned it with his habits and production.

“I feel like, it’s something that I could have reached, of course, but it’s all through opportunity,” Powell said. “I feel like I was granted the opportunity because I showed that I care about my process and everything that I was doing, as far as football, as far as off the field, to translate to the field. So yeah, it was great to surpass myself in a lot of areas, and I feel like it was just a perfect slate.”

“They let me know that they wanted me to take on a bigger role and to be a leader on this team. And I just took it personal, because I knew it was a place for me to develop, and I really just appreciated them giving me that opportunity,” Powell said.

The leader of the defense has produced a career year as a senior, and will have his send-off next Friday night when Purdue plays host to No. 2 Indiana in Ross-Ade Stadium. As Powell’s college career comes to a close, he hopes to have left a younger core of linebackers with valuable knowledge that they can take into 2026 and beyond.

“With the thought of being special, you know, just letting everybody know that they can be unique in their own way and affect the game, affect the people around them,” Powell said.

That group of linebackers currently expected to return to West Lafayette next season includes sophomores Charles Correa, Alex Sanford, Sanders Ellis and Winston Berglund. All of which are guys Powell expects to continue developing and take steps moving forward.

“I feel like these guys will play with grit when they touch the field. And when they continue their understanding and grow their understanding, I feel like they’ll be unstoppable as a group, collectively and individually. I feel like they’re gonna shine in their own special ways,” Powell said.

Powell served as the leader of the unit and bridge between the players and coaching staff, to an extent, as he looked to help Odom and Scherer establish their desired culture in West Lafayette. It’s an endeavor Powell hopes to have succeeded in during his one-year stint with the Boilermakers.

“I’ve had guys that, they taught me the foundation of how it’s supposed to look, and I’ve seen what it’s like when it’s successful with the guys, when everybody’s all in and bought into the culture. So I feel like, with me being one of the one of the only seniors understanding the full scope of how their scheme works and how it’s supposed to be built, I want to show these boys how it’s done and continue just leaving off the mark that others have left on me,” Powell said. “I feel like it’s important to pass it down and make sure somebody grasps what it’s really like to be a dominant football team.”

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