Purdue Recruiting Update

Here’s an update as of Friday, Nov. 28.

PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING​

Big visitor this weekend, as we expect Princeton forward Caden Pierce in West Lafayette for an official visit. He has apparently already visited unofficially unbeknownst to us, but will be back for his official over the Thanksgiving holiday.

If you’ve not followed this, Pierce is the former Ivy League Player-of-the-Year at Princeton who’s using this season as a redshirt year to transfer up for his final season of eligibility. He’ll enroll someplace for second semester, but sit out.

The Chicagoland native and brother of Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce and former UNC basketball player Justin Pierce has been prioritized by Purdue ever since word of his pending availability came out. Purdue was one of the many school that watched him around draft season at his agency’s pro day, though Braden Smith might have been participating, too. Pierce is repped by Mark Bartelstein’s Priority Sports, which has also had Robbie Hummel, Zach Edey and now Smith as clients, so there’s a relationship there and an element of mutual trust, though that may not be a dynamic exclusive to Purdue.

The bigger deal here: Purdue loses Trey Kaufman-Renn and it would presumably be a plug-and-play situation for Pierce in a leading role for a team that again has a chance to be really good.

The competition? Not 100-percent certain, but Connecticut is definitely one. They’re losing Alex Karaban. Duke was in it, too, but they just took a “late” commitment from five-star former Purdue target Cam Williams, so not sure. Louisville is involved. Pierce’s parents both went to Northwestern, but we don’t have much reason to believe the Wildcats are a consideration. The uncommon mid-year time frame of all this might keep the bidding-war hysteria out of this and it bears mentioning that roster limits would apply here, so schools have to have room to take a guy in a few weeks. Purdue, from everything we understand, is in a great spot money-wise, and Pierce being with a big-time agency already is a big deal. Priority got Edey and Smith a lot of opportunities on the NIL front back when things were unregulated.

No idea how this ends up but clearly Pierce is interested and there is a solid nexus of opportunity and relationship. We’ll see.

Not sure if/how Sinan Huan affects Isaiah Hill in 2027. There are some timing-related parts to consider here as Hill vaults up various rankings and into short-term NBA ambitions. He has made it clear in the past he wants to be at Purdue. Whether Purdue is the best place to accommodate his timeline, time will tell.

• Kager Kneuppel, Kon’s little bro, just visited unofficially and will be one prioritizes laying eyes on at some point soon in person. If Kager is anything like Kon, one would think Purdue would be all over it. (BN)

PURDUE BASKETBALL​

• Sam King‘s redshirt season is set.

The cart is far enough out of the barn now on Antione West for the question to almost not even be worth asking.

• Next year’s MTE remain TBD, but the hope is for the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The rest of the field is up in the air, but it sounds like Purdue will go if at least one other big-time team does. This year, Fort Myers has Michigan State and North Carolina along with a half-dozen mid-majors. Purdue would need that second heavyweight.

That’s where Vegas has shaken things up: The way it’s changed these fields on the fly. Last year, Notre Dame bailed on San Diego because it wanted the NIL money; Arkansas bailed because of a coaching change. Had Ole Miss not signed on, that event might have not been worth Purdue’s time. You used to be able to lock into certain events years in advance knowing fields would be stacked. Can’t really do that anymore. We think Purdue is due for Atlantis the year after next. We’ll see.

Purdue hasn’t pursued Vegas but doesn’t seem averse to it. Matt Painter doesn’t seem to like the format and not being able to have at least a general idea who his team would play. Everybody wants money, but Purdue is in a great spot in that area so doesn’t need to sign on to a game show like Houston does since it doesn’t have a great TV deal or big-time football revenue.

There’s also other factors for Purdue. It likes these traditional events. Its fans love these events. We’ve covered numerous tropical-locale tournaments now, and Purdue people dominate them. That stuff is worth preserving, Purdue likely believes.

But the landscape is what it is. (BN)

PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING​

As Purdue looks to fill out its 2026 recruiting class, the Boilermakers have a number of prospects in the cycle that could still enter the fold.

One such option is set to be on campus this weekend, as Benedictine (Va.) wide receiver Jojo Johnson is expected to be in West Lafayette on Friday to watch the Boilermakers take on No. 2 Indiana. Johnson, a Coastal Carolina commit, has been offered by Purdue, North Carolina State, and Michigan State in the last month or so. He visited NC State last weekend and will now hit Purdue for the season finale. A flip from Coastal Carolina seems imminent, but the Boilermakers and Wolfpack are battling it out.

Landing Johnson would bring Purdue back up to two wide receivers in the class, as three-star pass catcher Kymistrii Young flipped to North Carolina on Wednesday morning.

More on the rest of the visitors for Friday in a moment…

As far as the rest of the 2026 class, defensive back is a position Purdue seems poised to add to. JUCO talents Dax Noles (Iowa Western), Tai Terrell (East Central) and Dre Riley (Northwest Mississippi) all took official visits over the weekend and are targets of the Boilermakers with less than a week until National Signing Day.

Noles is down to Purdue, Western Michigan and Charlotte, and is determining which school is the best fit for him before he announces his pledge. The Boilermakers are in the driver’s seat with the ex-Oklahoma walk-on, but he is still weighing his options, with a final decision expected at the end of this week or early next week.

Terrell is slated for an official visit to Memphis and the expectation is that the Boilermakers and Tigers are his top two schools. I like Purdue’s chances here as well, but a lot will be determined by how his visit this weekend goes.

Riley is set to choose between Purdue, Illinois and Mississippi State on National Signing Day. The Bulldog commit has flirted with a flip, setting foot in West Lafayette and Champaign, but will head back to Starkville this weekend before making a decision. I would not be surprised to see Riley stick with Mississippi State, as he is a Mississippi native.

In-state targets Dane Bathurst, a three-star Carmel EDGE, and Jonas Muya, a three-star Bishop Luers offensive lineman, are also still up for grabs. Oklahoma appears to be the frontrunner for both, but Muya turned heads when he took an official visit to Purdue earlier this week, after keeping things quiet on that front previously.

In addition to Jojo Johnson being on campus, several other targets will also be in Ross-Ade Stadium for the Boilermakers’ tilt against Indiana with the Old Oaken Bucket on the line, including commits Kobe Cherry, Max Carmicle and Brayden Sweeney.

Four-star Franklin Central EDGE Jayce Brewer is back for his third trip to West Lafayette of the season, after being in town for games against Southern Illinois and Ohio State previously. Brewer has been a major priority for Purdue and getting him on campus as much as it has is encouraging. That being said, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Indiana are seen as the teams to beat for the Indiana standout.

Two offered defensive backs in the 2027 class will also be on campus, Riverdale (Tenn.) cornerback Dre Otey and Riverdale (Fla.) safety LaTroy Pender. Otey is the younger brother of current Purdue freshman cornerback Zyntreacs Otey, and holds other offers from Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland and others. The younger Otey is long and athletic and has the ball skills to be an impact cornerback at the next level.

Recently offered 2027 St. Patrick (Ill.) defensive lineman David Folorunsho will be on campus. He was offered last week and holds offers from Miami, Missouri, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and Iowa State, among others. Folorunsho is a rising name in the class and one that Purdue has jumped in on of late.

Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) teammates Patrick O’Brien (2027 three-star offensive lineman) and Julian Dwyer (2028 defensive lineman) will both be on campus. It is O’Brien’s second trip to West Lafayette and the first since he was offered back in September. Dwyer picked up an offer from the Boilermakers after a camp in June. O’Brien is a key name to know as far as offensive linemen go in the 2027 cycle.

2028 three-star Center Grove quarterback Oscar Sloan will be back on campus again, as one of the top names to know at quarterback for the Boilermakers in the cycle. In his first year as a starter, Sloan threw for 1,689 yards, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

A few 2027 names to monitor with offer watch potential, New Albany (Ohio) running back Jett Jerwers, three-star Withrow (Ohio) wide receiver Chuck Alexander Jr., and Brebeuf offensive tackle Krystian Oakley.

Other names to know:
2028 Morton (Ind.) wide receiver Corderro Bennett – Offered
2028 Barrington (Ill.) running back Lamar Osterhues
2028 Franklin Central wide receiver Markell Bailey
2028 Brebeuf defensive lineman Joshua Rogers

PURDUE FOOTBALL​

DL Ian Jeffries announced on social media on Wednesday, Nov. 26 that he has signed an extension with Purdue. The Arkansas State transfer is a good young player. Jeffries is one of four young DT’s–Chops Harkless, TJ Lindsey and Demeco Kennedy are the others–that all have bright futures. It’s a good group, probably best group as a whole on that side of the ball.