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Old National Presents: The 3-2-1: Five Top 25 teams on schedule

On3 imageby: Tom Dienhart08/12/25TomDienhart1
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Three things learned. Two questions. One bold statement. It’s The 3-2-1, a look at Purdue football.

Three things learned

1 – Heavy-lifting

We have known for months that Purdue would be facing a challenging schedule. The release of the first AP Top 25 sharpened the focus of that reality.

Purdue will play No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 12 Illinois (12??!!), No. 14 Michigan and No. 20 Indiana. The Boilermakers are at ND and at Michigan.

Games at Minnesota and at Washington also will be challenges, along with a visit from USC, which is No. 30 in the AP poll.

Bottom line: Purdue may be favored in just the first two games of 2025: Ball State and Southern Illinois.

2 – No fun and frivolity

A few times last year, players were surprised by taking part in some fun activity instead of practicing. There was a trip to the pool and paint ball battles, along with a fishing junket. The idea: The team would bond, while getting a respite from the grind, by engaging in off-field activities.

Under Barry Odom, however, it has been all work–no play. There have been no paint ball weapons, fishing lures or cannon-balling off of diving boards.

Is one way better than the other? Depends on whom you ask.

3 – Third Odom brother

We all know about Barry and Brad Odom, the oldest of the Odom brothers who is Purdue’s director of recruiting. But there is a third Odom brother: Brian Odom. And Barry and Brad will face off vs. the youngest Odom boy when Purdue plays at Washington on Nov. 15 … in addition to squaring off vs. Ryan Walters.

Brian Odom is Washington’s inside linebackers coach. He has also worked at North Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Washington State, Houston and Arizona. He was Barry’s OLB coach from 2017-18 at Mizzou.

Brian Odom was Oklahoma’s High School Player of the Year in 1999 as a running back before signing with Oklahoma and finishing his career at SE Oklahoma State.

Two questions

1 – What will starting secondary look like?

It is one of the bigger unknowns as we wade deeper into camp. The good news: There appear to be some decent options among a unit that drips with experience.

The bellweather appears to be CB Tony Grimes. Other top options at CB: Tre Wright, Chalil Cummings and Ryan Turner.

The best safety and nickel? That’s more difficult to decipher. But names to watch: An’Darius Coffey, Richard Toney, Crew Wakley, Myles Slusher, Tahj Ra-El and Stu Smith.

How experienced is the secondary? Purdue has four fifth-year seniors (Tahj Ra-El, Myles Slusher, Richard Toney, T.D. Williams) and four sixth-year players (An’Darius Coffey, Hershey McLaurin, Grimes, Crew Wakley).

Thank you, transfer portal. This unit has potential because of all of that savvy.

2 – Who will be center?

It’s may be the biggest question on the o-line as camp marches on.

Ethan Trent  and Giordano Vaccaro are the top contenders. We also have seen Mason Vicari and Bradyn Joiner taking snaps.

Trent has been snapping with the “1s” for about a week now. So, he may be your favorite … for now.

One bold statement: Only one likely starter on defense will be a Purdue prep recruit

Given the state of tumult the roster has endured since Odom took over, this isn’t a huge shock, I guess.

Still, it is nuts to think NT Chops Harkless figures to be the lone starter on the Boilermaker defense in the opener on August 30 who came to Purdue as a high school signee. Everyone else who starts that figure probably will be a player who came to town via the portal.

And of those other 10 likely starters, eight could be guys who just got here this past offseason. The two exceptions: Ends CJ Madden and Trey Smith, transfers who got here prior to 2024.

The entire back half of the D could be guys who just unpacked their bags this past offseason.

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