Interviews: Coach Green | Ian Jeffries | Rodney Lora
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football is officially single-digit days away from the start of the 2026 season as the program took the practice field on Wednesday morning (August 26).
The Boilers’ defensive line, coached by Kelvin Green, consists of five returners, three transfers and two true freshmen. With the ability to work together since January with no post-spring transfer portal, combined with working under defensive coordinator Kevin Kane's return to West Lafayette, the unit is showing steady improvement.
“It is a great group, and I enjoy, truly, coaching each guy in the room,” said Green. “The camaraderie they have with one another is amazing.”
Purdue not only added via the portal but made sure to add veterans. Rodney Lora (junior), Curt Neal (senior) and Wisdom Simms (senior) bring 81 games of collegiate experience that includes 60 contests at the Power Four level.
“Every single portal guy we got has been a big help to this team,” said Ian Jeffries. “We gel so much together it’s almost like we’ve been playing since we were in high school. It’s so fun to be out there with them.”
Jeffries and TJ Lindsey, both returners who debuted with the Old Gold & Black in 2025, make the competition even stronger. Jeffries totaled 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sacks, while he appeared in in all 12 games, and Lindsey had a tackle-for-loss but was limited to just three games due to injury.
“There’s a good bit [of competition for playing time],” said Lora. “I love going out there and competing, and Coach also has us mix-and-match with different guys… [Coach Green] knows we’re all comfortable with each other, so it’s going to be fun to see who goes out there.”
Lora (6-foot-3, 302 pounds) and Simms (6-foot-4, 319 pounds) bring size comparable to Jeffries (6-foot-4, 303 pounds) and Lindsey (6-foot-3, 308 pounds) that will help shape the identity of the defensive line.
“Their size, the mass, and still being able to attack,” said Green on Lora and Simms. “They’re picking up on how we do things and how we need things to be done to be really good players in the Big Ten.”
Purdue returns to the field on Thursday morning (August 27).
