Purdue football transfer portal: Boilermakers boost roster with 4 adds
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WEST LAFAYETTE − The 2026 Purdue football roster is starting to take shape.
On Wednesday night, the Boilermakers built on to their defense with three transfer portal additions, then filled an offensive line spot, a nice haul that at least temporarily appeased Purdue football fans.
The Boilers added two defensive transfers from Illinois in defensive tackle Curt Neal and linebacker Jojo Hayden. Neal is a former starter at Wisconsin and Illinois with four years of experience. Boaz Stanley essentially becomes a trade with South Carolina. Stanley was South Carolina’s starting center. The Gamecocks recently signed former Purdue lineman Hank Purvis.
Mister Clark was an All-Conference USA defensive back at Florida International last season.
The full list of incoming and outgoing players is below.
Transfer portal players committed to Purdue football
| Player | Pos. | Previous school | Notable |
| Micah Banuelos | G | USC | Played 11 games in 2025 |
| Mister Clark | DB | FIU | 63 tackles, 3 INT, 6.5 TFL in 2025 |
| Jerrick Gibson | RB | Texas | 115 car., 529 yards, 5 TD |
| Jojo Hayden | LB | Illinois | 26 tackles, 1.5 TFL in 2025 |
| Malik Knight | WR | Western Carolina | 47 rec., 774 yards, 7 TD in 2025 |
| Jaden Mangham | S | Michigan | 30 tackles, 2 TFL in 2025 |
| Curt Neal | DT | Illinois | 61 career tackles at Wisconsin, Illinois |
| Makai Saina | OL | USC | |
| Wisdom Simms | DT | N. Carolina Central | 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks in 2025 |
| Anthony Speca | LB | Penn State | 14 tackles in 17 games |
| Boaz Stanley | OL | South Carolina | 21 career starts |
| Travis Terrell | RB | Jackson State | 607 yards, 5 TD, 6.0 ypc in 2025 |
| Asaad Waseem | WR | Florida Atlantic | 66 rec., 699 yards, 5 TD in 2025 |
Purdue football players entering the transfer portal
| Player | Pos. | 2025 impact | New school |
| Arhmad Branch | WR | 14 rec., 212 yards, 2 TD | USF |
| Chalil Cummings | CB | 3 tackles, 2 PBU | |
| Carson Dean | LB | 3 games | |
| Sanders Ellis | LB | 6 tackles, 0.5 sack | |
| Tyrell Green | OL | Left team in season | |
| Jamarrion Harkless | DT | 13 tackles, 2.5 sacks | Kentucky |
| Jimmy Johnsen | OL | DNP | |
| Bradyn Joiner | C | Started all 12 games | Florida State |
| Demeco Kennedy | DT | 21 tackles, 3 TFL, 1.5 sacks | Louisville |
| Jaheim Merriweather | RB | 5 games, 2 car., 4 yards | |
| Marcus Moore | DT | 2 tackles | |
| Hank Purvis | OL | 11 games, 7 starts at guard | South Carolina |
| John Randle Jr. | OL | 2 games | |
| Alex Sanford Jr. | LB | 46 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 FR | |
| Malachi Singleton | QB | 59.4%, 439 pass yds., 5 TD, 2 INT; 202 rush yds., 1 TD | Appalachian State |
| Justin Schmidt | LS | DNP | |
| Sterling Smith | S | 12 games, 3 tackles | Ball State |
| Joey Sumlin | LB | DNP | |
| Jaron Thomas | RB | 2 carries, 15 yards | Minnesota |
| Nitro Tuggle | WR | 34 rec., 500 yards, 4 TD | |
| Rico Walker | TE | 9 rec., 100 yards |
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football transfer portal tracker
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