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Game 1 Prep: Purdue Opens 2026 Friday Night Against Indiana StateGame 1 Prep: Purdue Opens 2026 Friday Night Against Indiana State

Game 1 Prep: Purdue Opens 2026 Friday Night Against Indiana State

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue begins its 139th season of football, including the 103rd at Ross-Ade Stadium, Friday night at 7 p.m. on BTN against Indiana State. 

 

QUICK HITS

  • The Boilermakers dipped into the portal to bring in 32 newcomers during the offseason, down from the nation-leading 54 a season ago. With 19 additions from Power 4 conferences and four from the Group of 5, the 2026 portal class was ranked 24th nationally by On3.
  • The Boilermakers' opener against Indiana State will mark the first of two Friday night contests this season (vs. Washington, Oct. 16). Purdue has played in 16 Friday night games over its previous 138 seasons with seven being played in the last 10 years.
  • Purdue has shut out its season-opening opponent in each of the last two seasons - 31-0 vs. Ball State in 2025, 49-0 vs. Indiana State in 2024. It is the only program to not allow a point in a season opener over the last two seasons.
  • A trio of Boilermakers earned spots on watch lists this summer. C.J. Madden was named to the AFCA Good Works Team and Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. George Burhenn was tabbed to the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. Fame Ijeboi was placed on the Doak Walker Award Watch List.
  • Purdue will welcome back Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and Den of Defensive Ends member Ryan Kerrigan for his first broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
  • Purdue squared off with 11 ranked opponents over the last two seasons, including five top-5 teams, which tied for third and second, respectively, in the country over that span.
  • Purdue is known for the Cradle of Quarterbacks. Entering the 2026 NFL season, Purdue quarterbacks have thrown for 1,401 touchdowns in the Super Bowl era, more passing TDs than any other college. Cal (1,165) is second with 175 fewer touchdowns.
  • Drew Brees became the fifth Boilermaker enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at a ceremony in early August. The Purdue Hall of Fame inductee rewrote the record book during his time at Purdue, before embarking on a historic 20-year NFL career, including a win in Super Bowl XLIV.

 

ANOTHER SEASON OF PURDUE FOOTBALL

  • Purdue kicks off its 139th season of football in 2026.
  • The Boilermakers have a 80-52-6 mark in season openers, while going 94-39-4 in home openers. Purdue has won 24 of its last 28 home openers.
  • Ross-Ade Stadium has been Purdue’s home for 102 seasons, marking the 2026 campaign as the 103rd full season.
  • Purdue closed out the 1924 season with its first game at Ross-Ade, a 26-7 Homecoming win over Indiana (Nov. 22, 1924).

 

YEAR 2 OF THE ODOM ERA

  • Head coach Barry Odom enters his second season at the helm in West Lafayette in 2026. 
  • With an established culture and a deliberate approach in the transfer portal, the Boilermakers look to take a big step in 2026. 
  • Odom worked through a significant roster overhaul last season that featured 82 newcomers, including a nation-leading 54 transfers. Forty-six players joined the roster after spring practice concluded. 
  • Guiding one of the greatest resurgences in college football in 2023 and 2024 at UNLV, Barry Odom was named the new head football coach of the Purdue Boilermakers on December 8, 2024.
  • Odom, 49, is the 38th head coach in the history of Purdue Football, coming to West Lafayette following what could be considered the most impressive gridiron campaign in UNLV’s school history. The Rebels reached double-digit wins for only the third time in program history (1974, 1984), with both previous seasons predating the program’s move up to Division I competition and the Mountain West Conference, respectively.
  • Odom has a defensive background. A linebacker during his playing days at Missouri (1996-99), he has racked up seven seasons as a defensive coordinator over three stops: Memphis (2012-14), Missouri (2015) and Arkansas (2020-22).

 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

  • In 139 seasons of Purdue Football, the Boilermakers have played on Fridays 16 times throughout history, recording a 5-10-1 record. Nine of those games have been night games and only four have been in Ross-Ade Stadium.
  • Purdue concluded its 2025 season on Black Friday against No. 2 Indiana. 

 

THE PURDUE WAY

  • Head coach Barry Odom's programs have always been defined by a dedication to the team over the individual. 
  • Asked during his introductory press conference what the core principles of his program would be, Odom responded with the foundation of his career: hard, smart and tough. Playing football that way helped Odom’s teams succeed in all three phases of the game.
  • During the offseason, he introduced doing things "The Purdue Way", a team-first identity that embraces hard work and discomfort, trusting and following the plan and above all else, choosing the team over yourself. 
  • Throughout the summer, the culture set in. Of the 118 players who participated in the countless workouts, there was only one missed work out due to a canceled flight. 
  • The 20 core principles of "The Purdue Way" are:
    1.    Toughness 2.    Commitment 3.    Unselfishness 4.    Trust
    5.    Growth 6.    Accountability 7.    Responsibility 8.    Self-Discipline
    9.    Effort 10.    Be Coachable 11.    Enthusiasm 12.    Competitive Spirit
    13.    Habits 14.    Belief 15.    Hard /  Smart / Tough 16.    Preparation
    17.    Consistency  18.    Leadership 19.    Team - BOTTOM LINE

    20.    Attitude / No Excuses

WATCH LIST SEASON

  • A trio of Boilermakers were honored during watch list season. 
  • Transfer running back Fame Ijeboi was tabbed to the Doak Walker Award Watch List. He spent two seasons at Minnesota. In 2025, he played in 11 games and rushed for 441 yards to go along with three touchdowns.
  • CJ Madden garnered a pair of watch list selections with the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and AFCA Good Works Team Watch Lists. Madden has partnered with the Hanna Center, a local community center to provide support for youth and senior citizens in the Greater Lafayette area. 
  • Back healthy for 2026, George Burhenn was named to the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. After playing in 11 games as a true freshman in 2023, Burhenn saw action in four games in both 2024 and 2025. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, he caught nine passes for 94 yards before an injury at Notre Dame ended his year early in 2025.

FAMILIAR FACES ON STAFF

  • The Boilermakers return with a significant amount of coaching continuity, bringing back seven position coaches. Of the three new additions, two are familiar faces in West Lafayette. 
  • Assistant head coach Cornell Ford took over the running backs room, a position he coached during Odom's tenure as the head coach at Missouri, after leading the wide receivers in 2025. 
  • Bilal Marshall was promoted to wide receivers coach during the offseason after returning to his alma mater as an offensive analyst in 2025. Marshall was a four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers from 2012-16. He was previously the wide receivers coach at West Virginia. 
  • Kevin Kane was announced as the defensive coordinator after spending the 2025 season at Minnesota. Kane previously served as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Purdue during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. 
  • Offensive line coach Zach Crabtree came to West Lafayette from Fresno State. Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, he was an assistant offensive line coach and graduate assistant alongside Josh Henson for three years at USC. 

BUILDING A ROSTER

  • Purdue dipped into the transfer portal during the offseason to welcome in 32 transfers and 22 freshmen, a significantly smaller overhaul from 2025. 
  • The 32 newcomers from the portal ranked 24th nationally per On3. Nineteen came from Power 4 programs, four from the Group of 5 and nine from non-FBS routes. 
  • Prior to the passage of the 5-for-5 ruling, Purdue entered the summer with just 12 players in their final year of eligibility. 
  • The Boilermakers returned several key contributers, including quarterback Ryan Browne and linebacker Charles Correa. 
  • Last year, Purdue dealt with significant roster turnover and had to build a team from scratch. The Boilermakers added 82 newcomers to the roster in 2025, a nation-leading 54 out of the transfer portal. The two transfer window periods also saw 46 players arrive over the summer.

IN-STATE COMPETITION 

  • A schedule rarity, Purdue will play three opponents from the state of Indiana this season.
  • After beginning the season against Indiana State, the Boilermakers will square off with Notre Dame for the Shillelagh Trophy on Sept. 26.
  • Purdue will close the regular season with the 101st Old Oaken Bucket Game against Indiana on Nov. 28.
  • It marks the third straight season Purdue  will face three in-state foes and just the sixth time in the last 25 years. 

 

GRADUATE BOILERS