Xavier Townsend making case to be Purdue's WR1
The search is on this spring for an alpha receiver. Is Xavier Townsend that guy?
The Iowa State transfer, who spent the first three seasons of his career at UCF, is turning heads for a unit looking to replace its top three pass-catching wideouts from 2025: Michael Jackson (63 catches), Nitro Tuggle (34) and EJ Horton (27). The receiver back who made the most catches last year? Corey Smith (14).
“He may be about 5-10, but he’s built strong—around 195,” said wideouts coach Bilal Marshall, a former Purdue receiver who is in his first season leading the position after working as an analyst last year.
Last year with the Cyclones, Townsend collected 18 catches for 243 yards in 10 games. He also ran five times for 18 yards and a TD.
“He graded out pretty well by PFF, but never really became much of a factor in the offense,” said Bill Seals of CycloneReport.com, the On3 Iowa State site. “With another full offseason, perhaps he could have taken on a greater role in the offense in 2026, but the coaching change happened and he jumped in the portal.”
More playmaking ability is needed from a position that was plagued by inconsistency in 2025, creded with 26 drops, per PFF. Purdue’s last legit WR1? Charlie Jones in 2022.
A native of Tampa, Townsend has a connection with Purdue QB coach Darin Hinshaw, who was on the UCF staff when Townsend was a Knight. In Orlando, he made 66 receptions for 521 yards and four TD while with UCF. He also rushed 32 times for 278 yards and a touchdown. Townsend’s inspiration?
“I watch guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown with the Detroit Lions,” he said. “I study a lot of slot receivers and try to take different parts of their game and add it to mine.”
Townsend’s best season in college was 2023, when he made 33 receptions for 325 yards and three TDs. He redshirted in 2024, when he played just four games.
“I feel like I can be a beast on the field—especially with yards after catch, making plays, and using my elusiveness,” said Townsend. “I see myself as a big-play threat.”
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In addition to this receiving skills, Townsend doubles as a return man. He has ran back 46 punts in his career (9.7 ypr) and 17 kickoffs (23.6 ypr). He’s getting work there this spring for Purdue.
“He’s twitchy, runs great routes, has strong hands, and is a very polished receiver,” said Marshall. “I think he has next-level potential.”
Townsend is one of four portal wideouts Purdue added in the offseason, joining FAU’s Asaad Waseem, Syracuse’s Jaylan Hornsby and Penn’s Bisi Owens, who won’t arrive until the May.
The portal wideout additions have two more weeks of spring drills to impress, as practices conclude with a Spring Showcase on April 11.
“I grade every single practice like a game,” said Marshall. “We have a production chart, and you either gain points or lose points every single play. And typically, the guys that are going to be starting have the most production points at the end of camp. And you gain points by catches, first downs, explosives, great blocks, hustle plays—there’s a way to get production points every single play.
“And that’s how we kind of look at it. I look at it day by day. I look at it overall—we have it tallied up all spring together—and then we look at it day by day. Okay, is his points going up every single day? Is he getting more points every single day, or is he losing points every single day? That’s kind of how I do it.”
